This Is Not My First Time
by Tsukiko no Yuki
Summary: [COMPLETE][SasuSaku][AU] Meet Haruno Sakura, exchange student from Tokyo in Paris, the foreversmiling girl, and Uchiha Sasuke, popular icecube guy. Will the two opposites be able to become friends or more?
1. Welcome to Paris

**(1) **I don't know if it's true. Do French school girls have uniforms?  
**(2) **As you might know, there's no Sakura Mankai High School in Paris. I made it up, of course. P  
**(3) **No mask here :P Imagine Kakashi with no mask. Ahahaha!  
**(4) **Um, I don't live in Paris, so forgive me if the information I give you isn't correct… eh… Place de Clichy is part of Montmartre, right? Since Boulevard de Clichy is…

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Naruto. But I own Sasuke-kun! Sugoys! (  
**Inner Tsukiko: **You don't. I do!  
**Tsukiko: **Ah… I can dream, can't I?

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♥ Chapter I: Welcome to Paris ♥  
---

Paris, the city of wonders and romance… and the city of dog-lovers. That might be the perfect description for the place eighteen years old Sakura Haruno was going to live in – at least that's what Sakura thought when her fantastic 'welcome-to-Paris'-greeting was…

… to step right into dog shit in the middle of the street.

"Great. Great, great, great", she mumbled as she dragged her heavy trunk along with her towards… yeah, towards where? Sakura had no idea where she was going to search for her aunt's house. It wasn't like she had been living in Paris for years and knew all the streets and stuff. Heck, she didn't even know whether or not the Louvre was in Paris or London.

And to top it all off, the weather forecast had said it'd rain. Perfect beginning of a perfect stay in France, huh?

And why, exactly _why _had her stepsister Jessica convinced her that she didn't have to check the metro lines of Paris on Internet, because their aunt owned a car and would certainly pick her up at the airport? As soon as the airplane had descended and the jet-lagging Sakura had gotten herself to the main hall, she had found no aunt Cecilia. Instead, she finds a pervert who tries to lift her skirt who instead gets a major punch in his face.

Thus, Sakura decided to phone home to aunt Cecilia… just to find a message that Cecilia was out walking her dog, and that if it was her _sweet _niece Sakura calling, she'd better get her lazy ass to the apartment herself instead of depending on others.

"Oy. Cash, girl, have any?"

Sakura twirled around in annoyance at the source of the sound and almost shrieked out of fear when she saw an alcoholic staring her right in the face. He looked really awful; tattered white hair, a face so full of wrinkles and so brown of dirt that Sakura almost thought it was the jet-lag which was playing with her imagination, and he wore some old clothes that would've fitted better in a museum for clothes that had been over-used than on him.

His English was almost as tattered as himself, Sakura noticed as he once again repeated the question. "Eh… sorry, I haven't any", Sakura lied with a half-Japanese accent.

"Gotta cash have. Tourist. Tourist, money. No money, pheasant." He did a gesture towards her trunk. "Luggage, money, tourist."

"I'm not a tourist", Sakura protested. "I'm… just coming home from a vacation."

The alcoholic chuckled. "You, French? Ahaha. Laugh, let me. French girl no school clothes have." He pointed at her school uniform. _Dammit_, Sakura swore in her mind. _Why did he have to notice? _**(1)**__

"I don't have any money anyway!" Sakura yelled in frustration. "So just leave me alone!"

With those words, Sakura took off in anger, not knowing where she went, she just walked around the first corner she saw and continued to walk. _Sooner or later_, she thought, _I must find aunt Cecilia's apartment. _ _Paris__ can't be that big… _

_… right?_

---

After many hours of walking, swearing and encountering of alcoholics, Sakura finally found herself giving up in her search of her aunt's apartment. God, there were so many and she didn't even know how her aunt's looked like. Maybe her aunt was out shopping… but then again, Sakura had found out in her little walk that Paris had loads of grocery stores.

And asking around for a certain Cecilia Haruno didn't work either. So where the hell was she going to look for her aunt!

_But wait. Aunt Cecilia's boss has got to have her address, right? So if I just find where aunt Cecilia works, I can find her address! Maybe the workers can even be so kind to me so they give me a ride home to her once they find out that I'm her lost little niece?_

Sakura desperately tried to recollect all her memories of her aunt Cecilia. Where had she mentioned her job now again last time?... Must have been when she visited her in Tokyo…

_**Flashback.  
**"… Cecilia, dear, have some more tea."_

"Ah, thank you so very much, Dominique… you've always been such an angel", Sakura's aunt smiled to Sakura's mother. "Well, how's your job?"

Sakura grimaced. She was used to this; every time a guest came around they just said hello to her and then asked her mother a lot of questions, and all the time Sakura had to sit there and listen. If she walked away, it'd prove her rude. Most guests didn't have children, and if they did, the children had to wait until the adults were done talking before they could go out and play.

"It's wonderful, Cecilia… you know I've always loved getting massages…"

"Ah, yes. When we were little you'd always beg mom to give you massages. And then you learnt how to do it yourself and started to give dad some."

"That's right. Now I work at a massage clinic…"

"Oh, really! I've got to visit you there. Can I have a free massage?"

"Certainly. You know, all people that come there… it's so exciting. We have so interesting conversations during the massage; I've made plenty of friends."

"No husband?" Aunt Cecilia looked disappointed. "Dominique… I know that you're missing Henry, but –"

Sakura wanted to shut her ears tight. Her parents had divorced when she was eight; now she was twelve and she still refused to accept the fact. She often lied to new people about how her father was just always journeying, but when he came home from his adventurous journeys, he'd stay at their home and everything would be as usual. Truth was, her father had moved to the States with Sakura's older sister, and if he ever came around to visit her he'd stay at a hotel.

" – you really ought to get yourself a new husband."

"Cecilia, we've talked about this." Sakura's mother hesitated. "But… well… I've kind of realized you're right. In fact, I've started meeting a fellow worker at the massage clinic –"

Sakura had just wanted to jump from the window at this point. "Meeting" wasn't exactly the right word for what her mother was up to. Several times Sakura had caught her bringing a man home late in the night, and they'd giggle and whisper and kiss… and every time her mother excused herself; it was her friend and he wanted to stay there for the night because he had lost his key… it was dark and the streets were dangerous… or something else. Lately, she had even been disappearing over to the man's and leaving Sakura all alone in the apartment for nights.

"Really!" Aunt Cecilia looked overly excited. "That's wonderful, Dominique! Simply wonderful!"

"How's your job yourself?" her mother quickly changed the subject as she noticed Sakura's death glare at both of them.

"Oh, it's going fine as usual", Aunt Cecilia snorted. "Being a part-time author and a librarian has never been easy, you know…"

**End Flashback.**

"Librarian! That's right!" Sakura's eyes sparkled as she gained some new hope, and walked into the closest store, which happened to be a jewelry store. "Ah, excuse me? Do you know where a library is? The closest library to here, that is."

The lady behind the counter looked up from her book and blinked in astonishment at Sakura. "_Excusez-moi?_" she repeated, confused.

"Eh? Ah, _je… je ne trouve pas une bibliothèque.Près d'ici, où est une bibliothèque?_" Sakura asked in lame French.

"Aha. _Une touriste_. I see." The lady smiled at her. "So you're a tourist, huh?" She eyed Sakura's trunk. Sakura flushed.

"No, I'm not a tourist!" she replied quickly in English. "I… I'm a student. I'm lost."

"New here?" the lady questioned with an amused grin.

"Uh… yeah. Exchange student from Japan."

" Japan! Ah, what a coincidence. I happen to be Japanese too", the lady winked.

"You are?" Sakura's cheeks turned bright red of happiness. "Do you know somebody called Cecilia Haruno?"

"So you're looking for a Haruno, huh? Hmm, I don't know." The lady played with her long, curly, black hair which looked like a lion's mane as she pondered, before continuing: "I don't know any Haruno. At least I don't think so. But maybe Naruto does."

"Naruto?"

"Yes. Naruto Uzumaki. He's kind of infamous among us Japanese people here in Paris, you know… being all funky and stuff. He knows a lot of people – hyper-social and hyperactive." The woman rolled her eyes. "I don't know where he is at the moment, he's a bit everywhere. Maybe Kakashi does."

"Kakashi?"

"Yeah. Teacher. Which high school are you going to attend?"

"Uh… I don't know. I think it's called… ah, that's right. Sakura Mankai High School." **(2)**

"Sakura Mankai! What a coincidence. Kakashi is Naruto's teacher there. They're kind of friends. I think Kakashi might know where Naruto usually hangs around with his friends. Or maybe Kakashi even knows that Cecilia Haruno you're asking for. Wait a moment."

The woman turned towards the open door behind her and shouted: "Kakashi!"

A voice responded from the darkness beyond the wooden door. "Coming, Kurenai! Wait just another sec."

The woman named Kurenai sighed deeply. "He's hopeless. Kakashi and I are both teachers", she explained to the very confused Sakura, "But my parents own this store and at the moment they're away on vacation, so I've got to take care of it. Kakashi offered to help since he was done reading the latest volume of his favorite book, _Come Come Paradise_, so…"

A white-haired man walked in from the door. He looked weird, Sakura thought; his eyes were obsidian and he looked kind of lazy, yet serious. His hair was a bit ruffled and it was silvery – and even though he had silver-white hair he didn't look old. "Kurenai, you called for me?" **(3) **

"Yeah. This girl is lost. Japanese." Kurenai did a gesture towards Sakura. Sakura smiled back sheepishly, unsure what to do.

"Aha. New?" Kakashi smiled kindly.

"Uh, yeah. So… eh… d'you know any Cecilia Haruno, Kakashi-san?" Sakura asked politely.

"Cecilia Haruno…? Oh, yes! You mean Cecilia Stewart, right?"

Sakura looked at him, puzzled. _Stewart? What the hell?_

"She used to be called Haruno, but then she got married and was then divorced again. She didn't want her old surname again so she kept her ex-husband's", Kakashi explained as he saw her I-don't-understand-can-you-explain-it-again-face. "She lives at Montmartre. See, right now we're close to Chinatown – Place d'Italie – so if you ride the RER train number 7 to Stalingrad, and then change to number 2, you'll be at Place de Clichy, and she lives just a few blocks away from there. I think she's probably out walking her dog at the moment, so if you're lost again, phone her cell phone number from a telephone booth at the metro station, okay?" **(4)**

Sakura nodded dumbly, before smiling: "Arigatou, Kakashi-san, Kurenai-san. I'm very grateful. I hope we'll meet at school… ja ne!"

---

Sakura met some more problems at the metro station, but after some confusion and help from the workers, she got herself on board of a train and did as Kakashi had told her to. Once successfully arrived in Montmartre, she found herself a telephone booth and dialed the number to her aunt's home.

Beep… beep… beep…

And finally, someone answered after about seven signals and Sakura was about to give up. "_Moshi moshi?_"

Sakura thought it weird to talk Japanese when her aunt lived in France, but at least she had dialed the right number. "Aunt!" she exclaimed, too relieved to say anything else.

"Aunt? Ah, so it's you, Sakura."

"That's right! Aunt Cecilia, why didn't you pick me up?"

"I thought you were more independent than that. After all, you're supposed to be Dominique's daughter; so where're you now?"

"At the metro of Montmartre. Aunt Cecilia, where in Montmartre do you live?"

"So you're pretty clever, huh, finding out that I live in Montmartre without any help? Well, I live a couple of blocks away from the metro. Gotta explore some more by yourself, I won't help you, girl."

Sakura was about to explode, but decided to keep her temper. If she released some of her legendary wrath on her aunt, she'd probably get lost again without any help this time. "Uh… aunt, may I ask you of a favor?"

"Hmph. Depends on what."

"Well, if you don't want to go all the way to the metro station to pick me up, can you at least stand by your house's main entrance so I can see you, so I know I've gone right?"

"I might. Goodbye." Click.

Sakura sighed. Once again, she was… lost…

* * *

**Tsukiko: **This was my first chapter ever... I hope you like it:) And also, I rated this T just in case... I mean, it is a bit violent, after all... :P And this is my first fic ever, so please go easy on me!  
**Inner Tsukiko: **Where's Sasuke-kun?  
**Tsukiko: **Um... I promise he'll appear soon!  
**Sakura: **Hey, why am I lost again? It's all your fault, Tsuki-chan!  
**Inner Tsukiko: **Give. Me. Sasuke-kun. Now.  
**Tsukiko: **-sweatdrop- Anyhow... the next chapter will be released the 14th of July! Please review... ja ne:)

* * *

**Sneak Preview of Next Chapter - Savior**

_"Hey… you alright?" the blonde asked again, his sapphire eyes looking with concern at her._

"H-h-hai. A… Arigatou", she whispered weakly, not even thinking of speaking French instead of Japanese.

"Japanese too, huh?" the blonde grinned. "Hi. My name is Uzumaki Naruto – what's yours?"


	2. Savior

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♥ Chapter II: Savior ♥  
---

"What the hell!"

Sakura almost fumed as she walked down the row of houses for the fifth time – yet, her aunt Cecilia was nowhere to be seen. Montmartre was huge, Sakura had just found out – and now she was lost.

Again.

"What the hell!" she cursed once more, stomping angrily on the ground. A bypassing couple cut off in their kiss and stared at her, moving away a little in belief that she was a psycho. In no mood to apologize and explain the situation, Sakura simply rewarded them a glare and marched further down.

Lesser and lesser people appeared as she continued down the alley; at last Sakura stood alone in the midst of the alley, not finding her way back to the metro in the maze. Suddenly feeling totally abandoned, Sakura cursed her 'goddamned aunt' and sat down by the fence which separated the houses from the road, and rested her exhausted legs.

_Goddammit_, Sakura swore angrily in the back of her mind. _Why can't she just guide me home? What kind of aunt is she, testing my ability to 'depend on myself'? Can't she just be normal? _

As those questions repeated themselves over and over again in her brain, a shadow suddenly fell and blocked her view. Looking up in surprise, Sakura saw a pair of hazel eyes staring down at her. It was a blonde guy in her own age, looking at her with a kind smile on his lips. **(A/N: I just came up with a random description, this is NOT Naruto since I know he has blue eyes, not hazel ones. XD) **

"Hullo. Are you lost?" he asked with a perfect British accent.

"Yeah… kinda." _He can't be dangerous. He's way too cute to be it. _Sakura stood up and returned the boy's charming smile. "And you?"

"Nah… I live here around. So, where're you going?"

"My aunt's. She's supposed to live somewhere here, but –" Sakura did an angered gesture towards the houses behind them, " – she said I should find my way home by myself. Like I know it anyway! I've just come to France."

"Ah, I see. I can help you. Somewhere close here, you say? And she's… Japanese, judging by your accent?"

"… Uh, yeah… so you know her?" Sakura beamed. "That's great!"

" Yeah." The guy chuckled. "Come along."

He started to walk further down the path, Sakura trotting after him gleefully. Finally she was going to get home, and now she could've a nice, hot bath and just relax! And tomorrow she could go to school. This was just way too good!

---

The guy snickered as he eyed the totally tired Sakura behind his back. Now they had walked really deep into Montmartre, right into the dangerous quarters – the perfect place to commit crimes. Tourists were just so easy to trick, especially lonely little girls.

"Hey", the girl said anxiously. "Does my aunt really live here?"

"Yup. Right in the next alley", he responded and went into a narrow, dark alley. **(A/N: Are there really such in ****Montmartre****? oO I've been to Montmartre once and I just walked from the metro to Sacré Coeur, it's not like I explored Montmartre, so I don't really know how it's like there. ) **

"Um… I think we're lost again. Maybe I should walk by myself", she suggested swiftly and turned to leave, but the guy grabbed hold of her wrist and pushed her to the wall, pinning her forcefully to it. "H-h-hey! Let me go! I'll scream if you don't!"

"Do it if you want to", he sneered. "And see if anyone cares."

---

Sakura flinched. Was this really the country she had dreamed about? Was it, really? Or was it a country filled with beggars, alcoholics, psychos and… perverts?

"Let me go!" she shrieked and attempted to kick his legs, but he totally surprised her by abruptly kissing her. Sakura immediately stopped in her actions, her body not responding to her orders out of fear. Tears started to roll down her cheeks as she tried to breathe, but the guy was sucking breath out of her. Meanwhile, more boys arrived and started to carry her trunk away.

This awoke Sakura's senses to life. Shoving him away powerfully, she started to run after them, when she felt the blonde grabbing hold of her shirt, pulling her around and starting to kiss her again.

"Let me go", she managed to whisper as she tried to tear away. "Let me go!"

But he didn't reply, instead he grabbed hold of her wrists with both his hands, so she wouldn't try any tricks. Sakura desperately kicked, but because of her tears she couldn't see, and he was good at moving his legs about while he kissed. If the situation hadn't been serious, Sakura would've laughed at the silly-looking exchange of blows and dodges that made it look like a dance.

As several minutes passed, Sakura had almost lost unconsciousness. And then -

Everything happened in a flash. Sakura blinked in astonishment as she saw the guy crawling at the ground, glaring at two other guys who stood before her. She flinched in fear. More of them?

"You OK?" another blonde guy said. His sapphire blue eyes looked down at her emerald ones. Sakura shuddered and nodded numbly, as the other guy, who had raven hair and onyx eyes, eyed the other end of the alley.

"Gone", he muttered. Sakura followed his gaze. The boys had already taken away her trunk! She couldn't believe it. Now what was she going to do in France with no clothes and no money?

"You…!" the blonde guy at the ground spat and charged towards the black-haired boy, but he had already noticed the attack and instead delivered an effective kick right in his stomach, making him splutter out some blood. Sakura screamed, while the other blonde took her hand and dragged her away out of the alley into the sunlight.

"C'mon, Sasuke!" he shouted. "Leave him there, it's no use beating him up anyway. Let's go!"

The boy named Sasuke snorted, put his foot on the blonde's head on the ground and smirked: "You better watch out next time. If I catch sight of you again, you'll be dead." The blonde uttered a cry of anguish before Sasuke eased the weight he put on his foot and left him there, crawling helplessly at the ground.

Sakura could only stare. She was frightened, shocked and on the verge of throwing up. The two guys led her quickly away from the alley, around a corner and into a park, where they let her go on a bench. **(A/N: Bench. XD Reminds you of something SasuSaku? And oh, is there a park in ****Montmartre****? I don't know. oO) **

"Hey… you alright?" the blonde asked again, his sapphire eyes looking with concern at her.

"H-h-hai. A… Arigatou", she whispered weakly, not even thinking of speaking French instead of Japanese.

"Japanese too, huh?" the blonde grinned. "Hi. My name is Uzumaki Naruto – what's yours?"

The name Uzumaki Naruto rang a bell in Sakura's head. She smiled very weakly at him. "I've heard of you. From Kakashi-san and Kurenai-san; they said that I'd probably ask you if I wanted help to find my aunt."

"Kakashi-sensei and Kurenai-sensei? You know them?" Naruto's grin widened. "What a coincidence! They happen to be my teachers. But hey, be more careful next time, 'kay, Montmartre isn't a safe place, I can tell ya."

Sakura nodded slowly. "So… you know my aunt? Cecilia… Haruno? Or Cecilia Stewart?"

"Ah? Yeah, I know her! She always scolds me for being careless. Eh, Sasuke-teme, how angry you got. Bad mood?"

"You can say so." The boy named Sasuke, dressed in a black t-shirt and a pair of jeans and black shoes, snorted again. "That goddamned girl had to stalk me again."

"You mean Kari-chan? Ah, you must be kinder to her, Sasuke! She's just being nice to you." Naruto winked playfully at his friend, but Sasuke merely grimaced.

"Nice to me? She follows me around everywhere! And gives me those lame presents and… ugh, I don't like her at all." He glanced at Sakura. "By the way, what were you doing with that guy?"

"Uhm… I… I got lost", Sakura replied, ashamed of herself to have been tricked so easily. "I'm new."

"I can tell." Sasuke rolled his eyes.

"Yo, Sasuke, be a bit kinder to the girl! Just look at her, she's totally afraid", Naruto commented, giving Sakura a meaningful nod. "I mean, anyone would've been if it had happened to them. Better forgive him, y'know, he's like that", he apologized to Sakura. "And by the way, he's called Sasuke Uchiha. And what's your name again?"

"Uh… Sakura… Sakura Haruno", she stammered. "T-t-thanks, but I think I've gotta get home now…"

"No need to fear, we're going to help you!" Naruto insisted enthusiastically. "C'mon, Sakura-chan, I'm bored, let's get off now! I think your aunt will be thankful. Maybe she can treat me some ramen!"

Sasuke groaned. "I can't stand you and your ramen. I'm off, Naruto, see you some other time. It was bad suggestion to see Shikamaru anyway."

"OK, bye!" Naruto said happily as Sasuke walked off without another word. Then he turned to Sakura. "C'mon, what're we waiting for? Let's go!"

* * *

**Tsukiko: **Not very SasuSaku, but... I promise more SasuSaku will come soon!  
**Inner Tsukiko: **And why would we believe you?  
**Tsukiko: **Um... just because?

* * *

**Sneak Preview of Next Chapter: A New Friend **

_Sakura glanced at Sasuke, but he only stared straight forward, not bothering to even raise his hand a little bit. At this she rolled her eyes and instead turned her attention towards Naruto. "I know Sakura from before! We met yesterday! And..." Naruto grinned evilly towards Sasuke. "Sasuke-teme knows her too!"_

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**Reviews Corner**

**MaGiCsLiFe: **Yes, this fic is SasuSaku. :) It's also NejiTen, ShikaIno, NaruHina and slightly KakaKure.

**Rikulover4ever: **Sorry for the late reply, but thank you:D

**Silver Jasmine: **Thanks, I will :)

**A big thank you to all reviewers :D**


	3. A New Friend

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Naruto. :D And we all know that, don't we?

**WARNING! **This fic may beOOC at times, so if you can't stand OOCness, then never mind this fic!But please do read all the same? -puppy eyes-

**Inner Tsukiko: **Your puppy eyes doesn't work. Look at mine! Mwahahahahah! Genjutsu: Puppy Eyes of Doom no jutsu! -puppy eyes-

**Tsukiko no Yuki: **ARGH! My virgin eyes! -dies- And by the way... the one who's most OOC in this fic is probably Neji. XD (I've changed his personality, though not entirely, because I've also added that he USED to be unsocial and all that stuff that he really is, but he changed later on.)

* * *

---

♥ Chapter III: A New Friend ♥  
---

"You're hopeless", Cecilia sighed as she eyed her bruised niece. "And I thought you had improved since last I saw you."

Sakura didn't answer. She had calmed down a little since she began talking with Naruto, but she was still a bit shocked.

"Dominique will be angry with me if she gets to know, so don't tell your mom, okay? And where's your luggage? Don't say you lost it too." Cecilia raised an eyebrow. "You're just so clumsy, Sakura."

"Don't blame her, she got lost and then a guy stole it from her. She was robbed", Naruto explained. "Sasuke saved her in the last minute, but they had already gotten hold of the baggage."

Cecilia groaned. "And the passport and everything was inside the trunk?"

"No. I've got the passport, but all my clothes and things got stolen", Sakura replied.

"Hopeless. Totally hopeless", Cecilia muttered. "I hope you learn how to take care of yourself when you stay here in Paris. It's a dangerous city, you better watch out."

"I know", Sakura responded quietly. "Sorry, aunt Cecilia."

"Thank god you're going to attend a school full with Japanese people. I wondered what had happened to you if you had attended a normal French school?" Cecilia rolled her eyes. "Well, well. Thank you, Naruto, I'll treat you a bowl of ramen next time. One bowl, by the way", she added as Naruto started to celebrate by dancing around in the hall. "And Sakura, go and take a bath. You'll need it."

Sakura nodded, and proceeded up the stairs. She knew where the bathroom was; even though she had only been here once with her mother, she knew the apartment quite well because of an incident that had happened last time.

She heard Cecilia thank Naruto again and say goodbye to him, before closing the door, whilst her footsteps echoed in the otherwise silent apartment. Sakura stopped right before the bathroom door, hesitant. Just because of that incident last time…

"It's alright, nobody is inside", she heard Cecilia say behind her. "And besides, you haven't taken any clothes yet. Go to my daughter's room, Sakura, I'm sure her clothes will fit you."

Sakura nodded and walked towards the room in the end of the dark hall. The door was made of mahogany, and the doorknob out of pure gold. As she turned the doorknob and carefully opened it, as though it'd break if she didn't, she peeked into the beautiful room.

A large four-poster-bed was in the middle of the room, made of a dark wood, and with sheets and blankets in the color of pastel pink, while the three pillows were white with pink roses on it. The entire room was in pastel-pink, and the furniture was made of the same dark wood as the bed; Sakura had always envied her cousin because of that room, but her cousin had always envied Sakura for Sakura's room. Sakura's room wasn't that pretty, but her cousin commented there were 'memories' beneath the surface, and that it was the important thing. Sakura always wondered what her cousin meant with that, but she had never bothered to ask.

As she approached the wooden drawer, she slowly opened it and got hold of a pretty, red dress in Chinese style. It reminded Sakura of her own dress, and therefore she was slightly attached to it.

"You don't have underwear, do you?" Cecilia asked amusingly as she stood in the threshold.

"No. It was stolen, all of it."

"Then take some of Cindy's. She won't come home anyway, she's…." Cecilia silenced abruptly and did a gesture towards the drawer. "Hurry up, I want to use the bathroom too."

_That doesn't make sense, _Sakura thought. _Aunt Cecilia has got her own bathroom; why does she need that one?_

"C'mon", Cecilia urged her impatiently. "Just take some underwear."

Sakura obeyed and pulled out some underwear from Cindy's drawer before going back to the bathroom.

---

The following day, Sakura felt much better as she scrambled out of bed and changed to some clothes she had bought with aunt Cecilia the day before – white, sleeveless top, a pair of jeans along with a white belt and pink sandals – before hurrying to the kitchen. She had approximately thirty minutes to get to her new school, and she had learnt from aunt Cecilia it'd take at least twenty to get there with the RER.

"Getting up late, huh?" Aunt Cecilia eyed her. "Try the alarm clock next time."

Sakura didn't answer, just gulping down some milk and some cucumber aunt Cecilia had put on the table, before gasping: "Ja!" and running off.

Now Sakura knew the way back to the metro station, and once there, she hurriedly jumped onto the first train she caught sight of, thankfully the right one, and after some switching of trains finally arriving in Chinatown with ten minutes left.

Sakura grinned. "Great. A whole ten minutes left! Neeeew record!"

Just then, she bumped into someone.

---

Sasuke was on his way to school, wandering calmly when he suddenly felt something to his back. Muttering, he guessed it was one of those freaky fangirls, and turned around in annoyance.

"What?" he asked as he crossed his arms, just to notice that it wasn't a fangirl, just the girl from the day before – what was her name again? Sally?

"Uh… sorry", she apologized with an apologetic smile, before arising. "Um… you OK?"

"Yeah, I'm OK", Sasuke responded irritably and turned his back again to continue walking. But the girl didn't want to leave him alone. Instead, she caught up with him and started to walk beside him.

"Ah, now I remember! You're the guy from yesterday, right? Naruto-kun's friend… Uchiha Sasuke-kun? Thanks for saving me!"

"Hn."

"You remember me? I'm Sakura Haruno! Nice to meet you, by the way!" she beamed. The raven-haired boy gave her a glare that told her 'leave-me-alone-or-else-you're-dead'. Unfortunately for him, Sakura didn't notice it.

"And oh! You attend the same school, right? Sakura Mankai High School!"

"Hn."

"Really? What fun! Maybe we're in the same class too!" she smiled.

_I hope not_, Sasuke thought in his mind as the girl continued to talk. "Ah, by the way, Sasuke-kun – may I call you that? – you're Japanese too, right?"

"Hn", he repeated for the third time, not in the mood of chattering with this hyperactive girl. Maybe if he just ignored her for long enough, she'd start leaving him alone…

… or maybe not.

"Sasuke-kun, why don't we have school uniforms? We're attending a Japanese school, right? And oh, are your teachers Kakashi-san and Kurenai-san too, like with Naruto-kun? And –"

"Can you shut up?" Sasuke snapped at last. "You're annoying."

Sakura blinked in surprise at him a couple of times before she smiled again. "Oh, sure. Well, see ya later. Ja!" She waved before running off again.

_She didn't get mad? What a weird girl… _Sasuke thought, raising an eyebrow, before shrugging and increasing his walking speed. **(A/N: Yeah, I know this is kinda OOC, but… >>)**

---

"Listen, class. Today we've a new pupil – say hello to Haruno Sakura-san."

"Hi", the class chorused before the pink-haired girl. Sakura smiled excitedly back.

"Now, Haruno-san, say something about yourself?" Kakashi smiled approvingly at her.

"Um, okay… my name is Sakura Haruno – as you know – and I'm eighteen years old. I like cherries and flowers, and I dislike… mean people", she introduced herself with a nervous grin.

"What an idiot", she heard a guy whisper loudly. "Just look at her. Such a large forehead, and that introduction sucked."

"Aw, man, don't be so hard on her", another replied. "She's cute. I like that pink hair."

"Yeah. Pink!" a third said, and before Kakashi could stop them, the entire class had begun chatting with each other.

"I hate pink. Why can't she get blue hair?"

"Why doesn't she have a school uniform?"

"We aren't in Japan."

"Oooh! She can talk Japanese! I almost thought she was European!"

"You mean that only European people can have pink hair?"

"Where did you get that hair dye? It's so cool, it looks natural!"

"Nice clothes, you bought them at Champs-Elysées, right?"

"That means she's rich! Oooh, rich girl!"

Sakura stood there, still unsure what to do, wearing a nervous smile on her lips. "Uh… Kakashi-sensei, where shall I sit?"

"Go and take that seat at Ino's; she's the girl with the blonde hair in a horsetail."

Sakura's eyes scanned the classroom, until she found an empty chair beside the mentioned Ino, and sat down beside here with a broad grin. "Hi, your name is Ino, right?"

"Uh, yeah." Ino glanced at her. "Sakura, huh? Nice name."

"Thanks. Your name is nice too", Sakura complimented back.

"So Kakashi-sensei said you should sit here? Welcome to our place." She grinned and gestured at the two persons who were also sitting at the same table. "And I thought you were going to join Naruto's and Sasuke-kun's crew."

"Crew?" Sakura repeated dumbly.

"Yup. You see that each table has got three chairs? Each table is a group and must co-work. It doesn't always work fine, but mostly it does. Sasuke's and Naruto's crew misses a person. She moved."

"Moved? Where?"

"Don't know. Just one day Kakashi-sensei said she had left Paris. Gone to the States, I think – everyone does that nowadays. And oh, by the way, this is Shikamaru. And Chouji." She waved her hand towards the black-haired guy on the other side of her, who had his hair in a spiky horsetail. Then she waved her hand towards the brown-haired guy beside him, who crunched on chips and was pretty fat.

"Uh, hi", Sakura greeted them.

"Ohayou. So you're Sakura Haruno… think I've heard ya name somewhere", Shikamaru commented.

"Hey", Shouji greeted between mouthfuls of chips.

"Silence, please!" Kakashi shouted, and banked on the teacher's desk repeatedly before the class finally became quiet. "Now, does anyone know Sakura from before?"

Naruto raised his hand, rewarding Sakura a grin from where he sat in the front row. "I do! I do!"

Sakura glanced at Sasuke, but he only stared straight forward, not bothering to even raise his hand a little bit. At this she rolled her eyes and instead turned her attention towards Naruto. "I know Sakura from before! We met yesterday! And…" Naruto grinned evilly towards Sasuke. "Sasuke-teme knows her too!"

At this Sasuke glared at Naruto, but he didn't even care to glare back. Kakashi smiled amusedly. "I see. So both of you knows her. That means…" His look wandered around the classroom before it stopped on Sakura. "… that Sakura must leave the crew she's sitting with at the moment and sit down beside Naruto. Come, Sakura."

"Uh… okay…" Sakura arose from her chair and moved to the front row, where she sat down in a chair beside Naruto.

"Now, let's begin class. As you all know, Shakespeare was a…"

---

Sakura leaned towards the fence of the roof as she gazed out on the roofs of the houses below. _This school reminds me of my own in Tokyo_, she thought. _There, we've a roof too we can be on that has a fence around which is the same as the fence around a football pitch. _

As she thought this, she suddenly remembered she had promised to write letters while in France. She slopped down on the floor and eagerly picked up a notebook from her schoolbag and began to write.

_Kaa-san,  
I miss you, Jessica and everyone. _Sakura paused and wondered if she'd write her stepfather's name, but decided not to, as she continued: _How's it in _ _Japan__? I've only been here one day and everything's going great… I got a bit lost so my luggage is all gone. I'm sorry, I know I've promised to be careful, but maybe I just wasn't careful enough. But at least I was rescued from the bad guys by two of my classmates; Uchiha Sasuke-kun and Uzumaki Naruto-kun. They're both so kind! _

_I'm having lots of fun. I miss you all very much… _

_Your Sakura-chan_

"Writing to your mother?" she heard a girl's voice ask, and looked up. A cute girl stood before her; she had nicely suntanned skin and brown eyes, with perfect brown hair that looked so good she could've been a hair model; and she was dressed in fashionable, seemingly expensive clothes consisting of a black top with the letters 'CK' on and a Gucci denim skirt, Puma shoes that Sakura knew cost 100 euro and a Louis Vuitton wristwatch on.

"Yeah", Sakura smiled weakly. "And you are…?"

"Ah, I didn't introduce myself! Gomen nasai, Haruno-san. My name is Hikari Hikari, but call me Kari", she beamed. "I'm your fellow classmate. I'm seated with Jayne Donaldson and Terry McDonald – both of them are American, two of the few students here that are actually not Japanese."

"I… see", Sakura paused, sweatdropping at her name. _Hikari Hikari? _

"I didn't disturb you, right?" Kari asked curiously as she sat down beside Sakura. "I hope I didn't. If I did, then gomen."

"Ah… no…! It's OK, I was already done", Sakura quickly answered. "Um, Hikari-san…"

"Don't call me that. Call me Kari."

"Eh… ah, Kari-san –"

"Not that either. Kari."

"Kari-chan?"

"Hmph. Okay, that'll be fine."

"Eh, Kari-chan… do you know where locker 237 is? I got a bit… lost, when I tried to look for it."

"Locker 237?" Kari gasped. "Oh my god! Your locker is next to Sasuke-kun's!"

"Sasuke-kun's locker? Next to mine?" Sakura looked puzzled. "What's with that?"

"Don't you get it? You'll be able to see Sasuke-kun every single day!"

"Uh… we do that anyway", Sakura sweatdropped.

"That's not what I mean! I mean that you can see him anywhere else than in the classroom!"

"But don't we see him in the corridors as well?" Sakura sweatdropped again.

"Yes, we do, but… AAAH! You don't get it, do you?" Kari exclaimed, fire in her eyes.

"Um… no. Gomen, Kari-chan."

"That's fine." Kari sighed. "Seems like you don't know Sasuke-kun yet. You better don't, because if you do, I'll kill you."

"Eh… nante?" **(A/N: Nante means 'why', right? x.x I suck at Japanese, sorry.)**

"Because all girls that get to know him develop a crush on him. If you have a crush on him, it means we're rivals. If we're rivals, then we can't be friends." Kari winked. "And I'm more than willing than become friends with you, Sakura-chan."

* * *

**Tsukiko no Yuki: **I hope you like the chapter :)  
**Inner Tsukiko: **... There's still no SasuSaku.  
**Tsukiko: **There will be soon! I promise!  
**Inner Tsukiko: **And why would we believe you? -.- But yeah, yeah...

* * *

_**Sneak Preview of Next Chapter: Aishiteru! Confessions  
**  
"And who's here? The new girl? What a pleasure to meet you, Sakura-chan", he commented, taking her hand and kissing it, making Sakura's cheeks go pink. "You're very beautiful. Aishiteru."_

* * *

**Reviews Corner**

**ShadowThorn: **Thank you :D

**Bell Falcon: **I update every third day, at least until August 21st, just in case you wanted to know. ;)

**MaGiCsLiFe: **You're welcome :)

**MistressBlossom: **I'm glad that you like it so much. Thanks:D

**Thanks for all reviews:D Keep reviewing, pleeeease? -tries puppy eyes again-**


	4. Aishiteru! Confessions

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Naruto. I wish I did, though! T.T

**Tsukiko: **Heeeere you go! XD The chapter with the, mwahahah, kiss!

* * *

---

♥ Chapter IV: Aishiteru! Confessions ♥  
---

"So, Sakura, how's it going in school? You've been there for a week now", Cecilia asked as she sipped her coffee calmly, expecting Sakura to moan and talk about how horrible it was.

"Ah, excellent!" Sakura smiled. "I've some friends already, and everybody's so kind."

Cecilia blinked in surprise. "Nani? You don't think it's a rotten hell?"

"No, of course not!" Sakura looked just as dumbfounded back. "It's a fantastic school! I'm loving it. It reminds me of my own at home."

"Really? Was your school that bad in Tokyo?"

"No, not at all! I've always loved it." She sighed and stared dreamily out of the window. "I miss it a little. I can't deny I miss my friends, my family and Tokyo. But after all, I'm having lots of fun here, so I shouldn't sit here and reminisce – ah! I've got to go, aunt Cecilia! Ja ne!"

Sakura waved before walking out of the apartment, her schoolbag in one hand and an umbrella in the other.

---

"Sakura-chan! You're late!" Kari held her Nike umbrella in one hand, twirling it with an impatient smile on her lips as she greeted her pink-haired friend, whom was panting for breath. "We're going to miss everybody if we're too late! I was thinking of introducing you to my other friends today", she winked. "I think they'll appreciate you – and they're really nice! I can see you know Naruto already, so it's no need to introduce you two to each other. And I saw you talking with Ino – not like she's my friend really, but we know each other."

At this, Kari frowned. Sakura didn't bother to answer; instead she panted a 'gomen' and followed Kari into the school building. As they approached Sakura's locker, Sakura caught sight of Sasuke whom stood at his, right to hers.

"Ah… ohayou, Sasuke-kun", she smiled. He looked up from the book he had been reading in and gave her a blank stare, but as he opened his mouth to answer, Ino tackleglomped him.

"Saaaaasuke-kun!" she chirped. "Where've you been? I've missed you!"

Sasuke-kun mumbled something that nobody could hear, as Kari walked up to him, blushing furiously. "Eh… Sasuke-kun… I wonder if you've any time this afternoon?... Maybe we can study together…" She smiled embarrassedly. "And I've also a gift for you…"

"No, I don't have any time!" Sasuke snarled and pushed off Ino, walking off towards his friends. Kari looked pretty down, whilst Sakura cheered her up.

"Kari-chan, I'm sure he was just busy today… maybe he'll accept your offer next time, ne? Ah… Naruto-kun!"

"Ohayou, Sakura-chan, Kari-chan", Naruto beamed. "And by the way, Sakura-chan, remove the '-kun' suffix, will you? I don't like it."

"Ah… hai." Sakura smiled back.

"Yo! Naruto! If you want to come along you better hurry up!" a guy with pale blue eyes and long, black hair shouted to Naruto as he walked beside the quiet Sasuke.

"Comin', Neji!" Naruto grinned at the two girls. "I've gotta go, ja ne!"

"He's pretty cute, isn't he?" a voice said from behind Kari and Sakura, making both of them twirl around in surprise. A girl with dark-brown hair in two buns and hazel eyes smiled at them. "Ohayou, Kari-chan. That's your new friend you've been babbling about all night while I was having a cold?"

"Hai!" Kari-chan grinned. "Sakura, this is Tenten, one of my good friends – Tenten, Sakura."

"Konnichiwa", Tenten greeted her with a warm smile. "I've heard much about you… especially your pink hair", she giggled. "No offence, I like it."

"Eh… arigatou?" Sakura sweatdropped, unsure what to answer.

"And… Hinata-chan!" Kari burst out. "I've been looking for you everywhere, you were sick yesterday too, right? Sakura, this is Hinata. Hinata, this is Sakura."

"K-konnichiwa, Sakura-san", the girl named Hinata replied with a faint flush on her cheeks. "Nice to meet you." **(A/N: What does Hinata call Sakura? >> Sakura-chan, Sakura or Sakura-san? I think it's Sakura-san so that's why I wrote it.)**

"Nice to meet you too", Sakura answered happily. "So, what're waiting for? Let's go to class!"

---

"C'mon, let's see the boys' PE!" Kari suggested while they were eating lunch. Sakura looked, astounded, at her.

"Don't we have PE ourselves?" she asked doubtfully.

"Nope, it's cancelled today. _She _is ill", Tenten grimaced. "Boy, am I glad."

"Is our PE teacher that horrible?" Sakura wondered in amusement.

"You can bet. She's the most horrible teacher in the entire school."

"And who is she?"

"Kurenai-sensei isn't horrible!" Hinata protested. "She's just being strict."

"Call it whatever you want, but I don't like her at all", Tenten said, rolling her eyes.

"Kurenai-sensei? Ah, I've met her! She's kind", Sakura smiled.

"Kind? You won't think so after PE", Kari moaned. "Only a few of her students actually appreciate her. She's so strict! But she does seem have a weak point when it comes to Kakashi-sensei… I've seen her blush once when he came a bit… hrm, too close."

"Yeah, I saw him help her in her parents' bookstore, too", Sakura added thoughtfully. "I almost thought they were a couple."

"Is anyone up for playing Cupid?" Kari asked with a wicked grin.

"Me!" Tenten and Sakura exclaimed in chorus. Hinata blushed.

"B-b-but won't she get mad with us?" she stuttered. "I mean…"

"Hinata-chan! Tenten-chan! Sakura-chan! Kari-chan!" they heard Naruto say behind them. "May we join you?"

The four girls looked up to see Naruto, Sasuke and Neji standing behind them. "Oh, hi, boys", Tenten greeted them, grinning. "So how will PE be after lunch?"

"Don't taunt us, Tenten", Neji moaned as they settled down by the table. "Just because you girls' PE is cancelled doesn't mean you've the right to tease us."

Tenten giggled. "Have fun, guys."

"At least we have Gai as teacher – he's better than Kurenai", Neji protested.

"Who's Gai?" Sakura asked curiously.

"He's the one with thick eyebrows and black hair. Have you seen Rock Lee? Gai looks like an older version of him", Naruto explained.

"Well, I haven't, but I will, since we'll be going to your PE class, right, girls?" she grinned at the others. Kari nodded dumbly, too occupied with watching Sasuke, while Tenten exclaimed 'Hell yeah!' and Hinata nodded, smiling with a faint tint of red on her cheeks.

"What's with you, Hinata?" Neji asked, raising an eyebrow. "Every time Naruto is around, you blush. Something going on, huh?" he added teasingly. "OUCH!"

Tenten had appeared behind him in a flash and whacked him with her notebook. "If you don't want to die just yet, Hyuuga Neji, then you better watch your mouth", she commented triumphantly, while Hinata just tried to explain in a stammering manner.

"Neji and Hinata are cousins", Kari explained to the confused Sakura. "They've known each other since they were kids."

"OK, I'll watch my mouth if you kiss me", Neji said teasingly to Tenten as he protected his head with his hands. This made Tenten's face go bright red as she whacked him several times even harder. "Ow! Ow! Ow! I was just kidding!"

"Can you stop watching me? I'm not a TV, for hell's sake!" Sasuke snapped in irritation at Kari. "Go and look at someone else!"

"Ah… ah… g-g-gomen, S-S-Sasuke-kun!" Kari stuttered, blushing just as much as Hinata did at this point.

"Hey, hey, hey… be a bit more easy on her, will ya, Sasuke-teme?" Naruto told him. "She's just having a crush on you."

Kari's face turned even redder as Sasuke uttered a snort. "I don't care whether or not she has a crush on me or not. But I'm not a freakin' TV, and if she's going to continue stare at me, then I'll move!"

"Do you've a problem with people looking at you?" Sakura suddenly asked. "I mean, what if everyone had been like you and said that? Then we'd have nowhere to look! This place is crowded with people, we've gotta have our eyes somewhere, and it just happens to be that she had her eyes on you!"

"Do _you _have a problem?" Sasuke growled in return. "Would you like someone staring at you all the time while you're eating?"

"Hey, Sasuke…", Naruto began warningly. Sasuke shot him a death glare before snorting again and falling into silence.

---

"Neji no baka", Tenten kept whispering under her breath dangerously, as the four girls approached the gym where PE was held. Sakura sweatdropped.

"Hey, Tenten-chan, Neji-kun can't be that bad… right?" she asked nervously, as Tenten shot her a death glare.

"Neji-san is kind", Hinata smiled in response to Sakura's question, "But Tenten-chan and Neji-san always argue."

"They've done that since they were kids", Kari explained. "Anyhow, we're here!"

As they entered the gym (the doors were wide open, so anyone who wanted to see could come in), Kari guided them to where the guys were (it was easy to locate it since Sasuke's fanclub was shouting as hell), and walked through the doors towards the stands.

"Sasuke-kun! Sasuke-kun! Saaaasuke-kun!" the enormous fanclub shouted in chorus. If Sakura hadn't known who Sasuke was, she'd have thought he was a celebrity. Which he kind of was, at least in the school.

"They're so noisy", Tenten said under her breath as they tried to walk past them, but was stopped by Ino.

"Hey, Tenten, Hinata, Sakura!" (She didn't say Kari's name, just look at her in disgust before continuing.) "Don't you wanna join us?"

"No thanks", Tenten smiled back. "A bit busy. Where's Temari, by the way?"

"Temari?" Ino repeated, looking slightly disapproving. "Oh. I think she's with Shikamaru."

"Again?" Tenten grinned.

"Who's Temari?" Sakura asked Kari and Hinata in a whisper (quite loud whisper though, since the noise from the fanclub was earsplitting.

"Temari is Gaara's older sister", Kari informed her helpfully. "See him over there?" She gestured at a boy with crimson hair and the word 'ai' tattooed on his forehead in blood-red. "That's Gaara."

Sakura gazed in surprise at him. Gaara seemed very alone; they were now dividing in teams of two and two, and Gaara just stood there, while all the boys ignored him. "He seems lonely… why?"

"He's just weird", Ino answered, making them look back at her. "Gaara has always been like that, y'know? He's an exchange student. From… the States, I think. Good in everything, but he's not that handsome. He can actually beat Sasuke-kun in sports, but Sasuke-kun is much more good-looking… and cool." Ino sighed dreamily. "Gaara is just downright shy."

"Then somebody ought to talk with him, so he can open up", Sakura decided firmly.

"That's true. Maybe I should invite him next time I've a party", Ino suggested, shrugging. "So why don't you join us?"

"Sorry. Ain't a fan of Sasuke's", Tenten replied jokingly, and then explaining to Sakura: "Ino is the president of the SUFC – Sasuke Uchiha Fan Club, that is."

"But sometimes I call it 'Sucky Unhealthily Fanatic Club'", Kari grimaced.

"Hikari, I warn you…" Ino's eyebrow twitched dangerously. Sakura sweatdropped again.

"Um, shall we continue?" she laughed anxiously.

"Okay, sure. See ya later, Ino", Tenten winked, as they proceeded farther away from the now screeching fanclub since Sasuke had made a goal in the basketball game the boys were playing.

"So let's see, which guys don't you know?" Tenten said thoughtfully as she looked at the boys. "There's Naruto…" At this, Hinata's face turned a deep tint of red – "… and you know Sasuke too from before. Shouji, you know him?"

"Yeah. And Shikamaru-san, too", Sakura added.

"Shikamaru", Tenten grimaced. "I don't see what Temari sees in him. He keeps skipping classes – just because his IQ is 200. Genius. And he says 'troublesome' way too much. Besides…" She had an evil sparkle in her eye – "… I think Ino has a got a crush on him without knowing it. You should see her face when he's with Temari. But then again, she's all over Sasuke. Ah, whatever." Tenten shrugged. "And Gaara… we talked about him just a minute ago. Shino and Kiba, they're in Hinata's crew. Kinda weird, both animal-lovers – Shino is like, an insect expert and Kiba is a doglover. He always has his dog, Akamaru, around – see him? Akamaru is sitting on that bench."

Tenten gestured at a bench on the other end of the room, and then Kari continued: "And there's Rock Lee. He's next to Gai – they look so alike, huh?"

"Yeah, really." Sakura made a grimace. Both of them had hugely thick eyebrows – something she absolutely detested. "Who's that guy?" She pointed at a handsome boy out of curiosity that the girls hadn't introduced yet. He had golden hair in a very neat hairstyle, and deep blue eyes, along with shining white teeth and was wearing clothes that fitted him perfectly.

"Oh, you mean James?" Tenten groaned. "He's handsome, don't you think? But he's a total bastard. I hate him. Keeps calling me Tenten-chan – it's not like I dislike it, but he says it in such a disgusting way I just want to punch him."

"Don't be so hard on all guys, Tenten-_chan_", they heard a familiar voice say behind them, and as they looked around, they saw the grinning Neji behind. A vein popped on Tenten's head as she immediately attacked him, chasing him around while the other three girls giggled.

"Seems like everything is as usual", a beautiful voice sighed beside Sakura. Sakura turned her head again to see a girl who was taller than her, with pale blonde hair and small, obsidian eyes, wearing a pale blue dress. "Hi, Hinata – Tenten – Kari… and who's this?" She looked curiously at Sakura, who smiled back.

"Ohayou. My name is Sakura."

"Aha. Hi to you too – my name is Temari. And you're the new girl, I assume?" She looked meaningfully at Shikamaru. Just then, somebody appeared behind them and hit Shikamaru hard on the head.

"Ow!" Shikamaru said, as Ino stood, fuming, in front of him. "Don't be so troublesome, Ino! What's with you?"

"I should ask what's with _you_", Ino snapped. "Didn't we just say we'd study on the break since our homework's not done? And who ran off with a girl with half of our homework, totally ruining it all? I should say _you_!"

"All groups receive their homework together, so you've to co-work if you don't want bad grades", Temari explained to the confounded Sakura.

"I see. But what if somebody's sick?" she wondered.

"Well, then the other two has to do it all. Kinda hard, I can tell you", Temari sighed. "I'm actually older than you girls, but me and my brother – Kankoro are actually in the same group as Gaara. He's my younger brother, so it's all three of us. Exchange students from US. But we work individually since we're in different classes, meaning we've different homework."

"Did somebody talk about me? Ohayou, Temari", Gaara smiled. Sakura couldn't help but flush – he looked so cute in closeup view! **(A/N: I'm not a GaaSaku fan, and I know this was kind of OOC, but… xD I couldn't resist! Gaara _is _cute!)**

"Ohayou, Gaara", Temari beamed back. "So how was PE?"

"Great. Basketball isn't my thing, but…" Gaara shrugged. "I think it worked fine anyway."

"So finally you dragged your lazy ass all the way here", Sasuke said annoyingly to Shikamaru. "Where the hell were you when we needed you? You're good at basketball!"

"Didn't wanna play, kinda full after the superb lunch we had today", Shikamaru grinned back.

Naruto groaned. "You're hopeless, Shikamaru."

"N-N-Naruto-kun!" Hinata exclaimed in chorus with Kari, just that she instead stuttered: "S-S-Sasuke-kun!"

"Hi, Sasuke-kun." Sakura smiled at him again, while Sasuke raised an eyebrow. As he once again opened his mouth to speak -

"SASUKE-KUN! I'VE MISSED YOU!" Ino squealed before tackleglomping Sasuke again from behind.

"Ouch! Geroff me!" Sasuke hissed.

"Why do you always say you miss him when you've just met him?" Kari asked sarcastically.

"At least I don't begin my welcome speech by stammering 'S-S-Sasuke-kun'", Ino snarled.

"Uh… hey… Kari-chan, Ino-chan…", Sakura sweatdropped.

"DON'T INTERFERE!" the two of them shrieked back in reply, as Sakura blinked in mere surprise.

"Eh… okay…", she sweatdropped again as Ino and Kari got into a wild catfight (apparently, Ino had scrambled off Sasuke's back at this point). **(A/N: They do sweatdrop a lot oO)**

Meanwhile, Tenten and Neji… "COME BACK, YOU BAKA!" Tenten screeched, while Neji yelped (yes, yelped) 'Help!' a few hundred times each time she lunged at him with her heavy notebook, making everybody sweatdrop except Ino and Kari who were still fighting.

"Hey, Neji, didn't you say your leg was in pain?" Naruto shouted at him with a smirk.

"YES, IT DAMN IS, THEREFORE I DON'T WANT TO HAVE MORE PAIN – OW!" Neji shouted back from the other end of the room as Tenten finally managed to land a hit on him, but at his leg. Deciding that he was tired of running, Neji did a backflip in midair, landing behind Tenten swiftly and then carrying her (bridal-style XD) back to the stands, preventing Tenten from hitting him since she was just way too embarrassed to do anything else than blush. Unfortunately for Neji though, as soon as he had put her down, she immediately began to chase him again, this time with a tomato-red face…

---

"Um, Naruto, Sasuke-kun… the homework", Sakura began shyly on their way to the ice-cream store with the rest of the extremely noisy gang, excluding the fanclub which had been stalking Sasuke during lunch-break, so they hadn't had any lunch and were now going to have it. "Do you want it to do it after school in the library?"

"Hn", was Sasuke's answer.

"Yeah!" Naruto beamed at her.

Sakura smiled. She took both the response as 'yes'. "Great! What homework do we have?"

"Eh… Sasuke-teme?" Naruto questioned Sasuke with an apologetic smile. "Sorry, Sakura-chan, I usually don't know what homework we've got."

"Physics", Sasuke grunted. "Maths. I prefer PE, but since we can't have homework in that…"

"Ugh, no! The worst subjects ever", Naruto moaned as though he was on the verge of death.

"Really? I think French is worse, my French sucks. It was just my mom's idea I'd come here", Sakura replied with a grin.

"Your mom? Hey, you said Cecilia was your aunt, right? Your mom's sister?"

"Yup. Older sister. She has got an older brother too", Sakura responded, but at this Sasuke twitched. "Eh? Sasuke-kun? Is there something wrong?"

"Hn."

"Is that a yes or no?"

"…"

"Sasuke-kun?"

"…"

"Sasuke-kun?"

"IT'S A NO, DAMMIT!" Sasuke yelled. Sakura blinked a couple of times, and then smiled.

"Aha, okay. Well, it's always good to know."

_Does this girl never get mad? _Sasuke thought, raising an eyebrow again. "Hey, you… eh… pinkhead." _What was her name again?_

"Eh? You mean me?" Sakura asked in surprise. Sasuke rolled his eyes.

"No, I mean Naruto."

"Really?"

"I MEAN YOU, DAMMIT!"

"Ah, alright. What, Sasuke-kun?"

"Don't you ever get ma –"

"SAAAASUKE-KUN! I'VE MISSED YOU!" Ino pounced Sasuke from behind again.

"Didn't you just see him?" Naruto sweatdropped.

"No, not for the last five seconds", Ino replied innocently as she got off the pissed Sasuke's back and took the ice cream cone Tenten handed her. "Thanks, Tenten."

"No problem", Tenten replied happily as she ate her own, which was mint-flavored with chocolate pieces. Then she shot a glare at Neji that made him gulp. "I'll wait with your death penalty until I'm done with the ice cream… be glad that you can live for that long", she hissed threateningly.

"Eh? Sasuke-kun, what were you saying? I didn't hear it", Sakura asked in confusion.

"Yeah. I was asking, don't you ever –"

"Sasuke-kun!" Ino gasped, looking hurt. "Why don't you talk with _me_? I'm being jealous here, you know!"

"Like I care anyway!" Sasuke snapped. "It isn't like you're my girlfriend or something."

… Dead silence.

"WAAAAH! I'M NOT YOUR GIRLFRIEND! I'VE THOUGHT THAT THE LAST FEW YEARS! WAAAAAAAAH!" Ino began to cry loudly, sitting down on the ground like a baby and crying floods.

"Eh… Ino...", Tenten started hesitantly.

"WAAAAAH!"

"Ino-chan…", Hinata tried, but was interrupted.

"WAAAAAAH!"

"Yo, Ino", Shikamaru attempted, but was like Tenten and Hinata interrupted.

"WAAAAAH! WAAAAAAAAH! MY WORLD IS COMING TO AN END!"

"SHUT UP, CRYBABY!" Ino received a big kick on her head from Kari, making her fall over in surprise, and stopping her deafening sobbing for a few seconds. "LIKE YOU _WERE _HIS GIRLFRIEND ANYWAY, HE HAS NEVER LIKED YOU!"

"_YOU _SHUT UP, YOU –" Ino took a deep breath and overwhelmed the gang with a bunch of unpleasant words that wouldn't look too good in this fic – "AND GO AND DIE IN HELL!"

"WHAT DID YOU SAY?"

"ARE YOU DEAF TOO?"

"WELL WE'RE AT LEAST NOT DEAF SO BE QUIET BEFORE I EXPLODE AND KILL EVERYBODY AND BLOW UP THIS CRAPPY WORLD GET IT!" Tenten shrieked, looking at them in wrath. As the two fighters stopped, Tenten took a deep breath and smiled. "Good. I'll spare your poor lives this time."

That made everyone sweatdrop. Big sweatdrops too.

---

"… And X and Y must then be… 10+1?" Sakura groaned. "This is not getting anywhere!"

"Can't we just go and eat ramen now?" Naruto pleaded. Sasuke rolled his eyes.

"Shut up, dobe. You're making me hungry."

"Ugh… I'm actually hungry too", Sakura grimaced.

"Let's go eat, then!" Naruto insisted eagerly.

"Can't we get this done, first?" Sakura pleaded. "Then we can relax."

"Hn."

"Okay, then", Naruto sighed disappointedly. "But we can eat ramen afterwards, right?"

"Oooh… so here we've got Sarcasm Guy and Stupid Guy", somebody taunted from behind.

"Hahaha, very funny, Shikamaru", Naruto replied ironically just to turn his head to see – "You", he hissed, narrowing his eyes.

Sakura looked up from the maths book in astonishment, to see the guy from the PE class earlier. "Eh?"

"And who's here? The new girl? What a pleasure to meet you, Sakura-chan", he commented, taking her hand and kissing it, making Sakura's cheeks go pink. "You're very beautiful. Aishiteru."

Sakura stared at him in disbelief, withdrawing her hand quickly.

"What're you doing here?" Naruto asked with a tint of threat in his voice.

"Me? Just relaxing", James laughed and leaned towards the seemingly uneasy Sakura. "Ah, your lips seem so soft – let me kiss – OUCH!"

"Get off her", Sasuke growled, standing behind James with a notebook."You just want to copy our homework."

"And since when did you become so protective?" James retorted, rubbing his sore head. "I thought you didn't care for girls?"

"I don't. But I dislike people who copy my homework", Sasuke snarled, "So get out of here quick before I need to kick your ass in public."

"Yeah, okay, okay. Go a bit easy on me, will ya?" James muttered as he reached the library's exit. But before he opened the door to leave, he shouted: "Don't think I did that because of the homework, Sakura-chan! Daisuki!" He threw a hearttowards her before going out. **(A/N: When I write 'throw a heart', I mean the way Rock Lee did back at the Chuunin exams when they first met.)**

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**Tsukiko: **I hope you guys didn't get disappointed that Sasuke-kun wasn't the one who was kissing her hand XD But I promise more SasuSaku moments are coming soon! And... if you want to see when I'm going to update next time, go to my the top of my profile - I've written it all there:D Ja ne!  
**Inner Tsukiko: **You forgot to say -  
**Tsukiko: **Yeah, right, I totally forgot to say that next chapter contains... minor KakaKure, minor SasuSaku and minor NejiTen! XD Sorry, the ShikaIno won't appear before further on in the story.. -.-

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**Reviews Corner:**

LoveStories: Thanks, I'm glad you like it :)  
**Claud-kun: **Thanks :D  
**MaGiCsLiFe: **Heheh... now you got to know XD  
**UnicaSophia: **Sorry that there wasn't so much SasuSaku in this chapter, but more is coming soon, I promise XD  
**Crazy Gal42: **Thanks :)  
**Zuan: **Thanks, I will :D  
**Amylovestakuya: **Thanks :D The further this story proceeds, the more SasuSaku moments there'll be... XD -smiles secretly-  
**Frienz4ever: **Thanks, I got the idea a few weeks before I went to France myself, though unfortunately I didn't see all of Paris, so I still had to make some stuff up.. I hope it's still realistic, though :D  
**WaterBender101: **Thanks, I will :D And I'm sorry it wasn't Neji, and I'm also sorry there won't be any NejiSaku in this fic... maybe some other fic, though...hope you aren't disappointed!  
**SomeDreamer: **Thanks, and now you got to know ;)  
**HeartAngel: **Sorry... and thanks? XD But hey, Cecilia isn't all that mean really, she's just being weird, you know :P And Sakura has her unfortunate moments in France, but I can guarantee (spooooiler! XD) that she'll have a least to say _nice _stay in Paris... ;D  
**Shy-Princess: **Thanks, I will :D

**A big THANK YOU for all the reviews:D I was really, really surprised that I got so many, and I'm really, really happy! THANK YOU and keep on reviewing! ;D  
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**_Sneak Preview of Next Chapter: Versailles, here we come!_**

_"SAKURA HARUNO! YOU'RE NOT JUST A LITTLE RUDE, ARE YOU!" Ino exploded in her face as she stomped down to Sakura's seat. "HOW DARE YOU SLEEP WITH MY SASUKE-KUN!"_

---

_"You babble even when you're not mad", Sasuke interrupted her, still wearing his infamous smirk. "But it's not like I care, it's pretty cute, actually."_


	5. Versailles, here we come!

**Disclaimer**: I don't own Naruto.

**Tsukiko**: New chapter! -dances- And... happy birthday, Sasuke-kun!

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♥ Chapter V: Versailles, here we come! ♥  
---

"Class, settle down!" Kakashi shouted over the usual noise, before everybody finally silenced. "I've some very important news to tell you. And if you're not quiet, you'll not get to hear it… or even worse, I might withdraw them. They're good news, by the way", he added as he saw their terrified faces. "We're going to spend a night in Versailles." **(A/N: I know that this is impossible in real life, but… XD)**

Immediately, the talking began.

" Versailles?"

"No, you gotta be kidding!"

"Oh my god! Versailles! I can't believe we're going there!"

"The royal castle?"

"Duh, what do you think? Oh my god, we're going to be like… kings and queens!"

"I want to be Sasuke-kun's queen!"

"Forget that, baka! I'm the one who's supposed to be that!"

Sasuke sighed as he heard his fanclub argue again. Could they never leave him alone? Did they actually think for a minute that they annoyed him more than they actually made him _like _them at all? He glanced at Sakura beside him. She didn't seem as much of a maniac as the others. Maybe he'd meet the first normal girl in his entire life, except Tenten and Hinata, if you'd call them normal. But then again, he had only known her for a month, so maybe she'd change after a while…

"Sasuke-kun? What's Versailles?" Sakura asked with a cute face of innocent confusion (and not pretended innocence, but true innocence). "Isn't it a… city? Or state? In the US?"

Sasuke just opened his mouth to tell her to ask Naruto instead, when he remembered the dobe was ill and was staying at home. "Ah. It's a royal castle, outside Paris."

"A royal castle?" Sakura looked excited. Sasuke groaned inwards. _Oh no, don't tell me she's going to go insane too and ask if she can't become my queen or something… _"It's true? But… hey, wait, a royal castle! How did our school manage to make us stay there?"

"Rich", Sasuke grunted, in fear that she'd become freaky too.

"Wow, it's so cool! We're staying overnight at a castle!" Sakura's eyed sparkled with happiness. "Think of it, Sasuke-kun! I mean… a castle! I… I have not ever even seen a castle… it's huge, isn't it?"

"Bigger than huge. Been there once, it's like…" Sasuke thought a while for the correct description. "… it's like an entire city. At least if you include the gardens. Got everything in there, except stores. Medieval, see – not used anymore."

As you can guess, Sasuke never used more words than he needed – the exact opposite to Sakura, who could've stood up and danced in front of everyone out of gladness. "Oh my god! An entire castle!"

Sasuke couldn't help but hide a smile. She looked pretty cute, being all enthusiastic and stuff. Besides, her innocence and the fact that she wasn't obsessed with him as everyone else, made him feel quite comfortable.

"Hey, hey, hey – what do I see, Sasuke-_kun _hiding a smile?" he heard Neji tease him from behind. Sasuke shot him a death glare quite similar to Tenten's. "Uh… Sasuke… don't pick up on Tenten's bad habits now…" **(A/N: I know it's kinda weird that they're in the same class, and that Neji, Tenten & Rock Lee really are a year older, but I thought it was better to have them in the same class 3)**

"WHAT THE HELL DID YOU SAY, TEME!" Tenten exploded and started to hit Neji in the head with her notebook again.

"Ow! Ow! OW! Sorry, Tenten! I didn't mean it! Just… JUST STOP HITTING ME, FOR GOD'S SAKE!"

"… Hi, Sasuke-kun", Rock Lee greeted him with a smile beside Neji, as though everything was as usual. Both Sasuke and Sakura sweatdropped as they watched this scene, before Kakashi tapped on the teacher's desk with a pencil so loudly the pencil almost was crushed.

"Okay, quiet, class! We'll be going the day after tomorrow, so make sure you've got stuff to eat and drink, we won't provide ya with anything except soft beds! And don't even think of making the place dirty, 'cause if you do, you'll have to clean it up yourself!" Kakashi announced. "And you'll be in different groups, not in your normal crews. You will sleep in different parts of the castle… lucky ones will sleep in the king's chamber or the queen's", he winked. "We'll tell you what bedroom you will use once we get there. But most rooms only have one bed, so either you've got to share or one must sleep on the floor."

"I want to be with Sasuke-kun!" a dozen girls squealed.

"I want to be with Sakura-chan!" James shouted.

"Okay…", Kakashi sweatdropped. "I'll… announce the groups this afternoon, so calm it, 'k? Now, to geography…"

"We've got to tell Naruto this!" Sakura whispered to Sasuke. "Can't we go and see him after school? Then we can do the homework together at his place… if he doesn't mind."

"He won't", Sasuke shrugged in a low voice. Sakura couldn't help but twitch. _His voice sounds so damn sexy when he talks like that_, she thought, and concentrated hard to hide her blush. "But ok, I'm not in a hurry either, so…"

"Sasuke! Sakura!" Kakashi said loudly. "Would you mind having your _lovetalk _after class?"

At this both of their faces turned bright red, and while the fanclub stared daggers at Sakura and James did the same to Sasuke, the rest of the class just snickered.

---

"Oh my god, Sakura-chan, how could you do this to me?" Kari whined. "I thought you said you wouldn't take Sasuke-kun!"

"Don't be silly, Kari!" Sakura responded, slightly annoyed. "I was just talking about telling this to Naruto."

"So you'll spend time with him after school? Again?" she wailed.

"Can we stop bringing this subject up?" Sakura snapped. "I'm just going to see Naruto. I'm not going to steal your precious Sasuke-kun, if that's what you're afraid of. Don't you believe in me more than that?"

"Whoa, Sakura. Seems like you're in a bad mood today", Tenten commented, looking astounded. "Normally, it's me saying stuff like that."

"I know", Sakura sighed. "Sorry, Kari-chan, didn't mean to, but you've talked about this thousands of times already! I've already promised!"

"Really?" Kari widened her eyes.

"Yes." Sakura heaved another deep sigh. "If you don't believe me, ask Sasuke-kun yourself if we're more than just friends."

"Good. I believe in you", Kari replied in satisfaction. "I hope I get in the same group as Sasuke!"

Tenten scowled. "What's with you, Tenten? Jealous?" Sakura teased.

"No, I'm just thinking of what a torment it'd be if I happened to be in the same group as Neji", she moaned. "I can just see it in front of me. He wakes me up by throwing a bucket of ice-cold water on my head, making me chase around him through the entire building, and then I pin him down and he teases with me just because he knows flirting makes me even angrier, and then I try to kill him but can't because –"

Tenten clapped a hand to her mouth.

"Ooooh… so there _is _a reason why you haven't killed him just yet?" Sakura taunted her. "And I thought that it was because you were tired, as you say every time?"

"Y-y-yes!" Tenten stuttered back, her face a deep shade of magenta. "I'm tired! Very tired! That's why I can't kill him! Because I always get tired in the end!"

"And that's why you look like a tomato, eh?" Sakura giggled.

"If you don't want to die…", Tenten hissed.

"OK, OK, I get the point. How about you, Hinata-chan? Who do you want to be placed with?"

"Ah? Oh, gomen, Sakura-san. I wasn't listening."

"I wondered who you'd like to be paired with in the group?"

"Oh… with you guys, of course", she smiled shyly. "And…"

"… Naruto?" Sakura added teasingly.

Kari sighed. "Seems like you've become the new gang's little Cupid, eh, Sakura? Taken my job, you little…" She stuck her tongue out at Sakura, who stuck out her tongue back.

"And oh, Sakura, who do _you _want to be placed with?" Tenten asked evilly, deciding to have some revenge after all. "_Sasuke-kun_, perhaps?"

"Eh… ah… no!" Sakura blushed. "I want to be with you guys, of course!"

"Sure about that?" Tenten smiled wickedly. "You're sure you don't want to be with Sasuke-_ku_ – OUCH! WHAT WAS THAT FOR, KARI NO BAKA!"

Kari, who stood behind Tenten holding a very thick notebook (even thicker than Tenten's own), grinned at her. "She has promised. And Sakura holds her promises. If you make her break her promise, then you shall be dead."

"You sound like someone from a movie", Tenten mumbled. "Yeah, yeah, whatever. I was just kidding anyway."

---

"Now, listen carefully, class, while I call your names. Group 1: Naruto, Sakura, Neji, Hinata, Tenten –" A groan could be heard from the table behind Sakura – " – and Sasuke."

"Whaaat?" the SUFC and James howled in unison.

"He's with _them_? I mean, Naruto and Neji do fine, but –"

"At least he's not with _her_", Ino retorted to the fanclub she was president of, and looked in disgust in the disappointed Kari's direction. "I wouldn't stand it if they ended up in the same group. At least, Sasuke-kun is in safe hands. It's not like he needs to share a bedroom with any girl."

"Did I forget to mention it?" Kakashi grinned. "All people must share a bedroom of the opposite gender."

"WHAAAT!" the entire class screeched.

"Whoa, calm it", Kakashi blinked. _I knew it'd be trouble_, he sighed inwards. _I shouldn't have promised Kurenai _that_…_

Flashback.

"Kurenai! Give that to me!" Kakashi pleaded as he chased her through the store. "Pleeeease!"

"Mwahahaha! Now that I've finally gotten hold of your evil, sinful, perverted book, I'll not give it back!" Kurenai shouted back in glee.

"I helped you!" Kakashi tried, putting on a sulky face.

"Yeah, you did, so?" Kurenai shrugged. "I still won't forgive you for showing it to my younger brother! He's only fifteen, don't give him any ideas!"

"What's wrong with this book? It's just containing some info that might scare off kids, but your brother is no kid, y'know?" Kakashi replied as he tried to snatch the book away from her without success. Normally he'd have pinned the person down and totally kicked that person's ass, but this happened to be Kurenai, and out of some reason, he just couldn't do that to her.

"Perveeeert!" Kurenai teased him and tried to throw it in the fire.

"Nooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!" Kakashi screamed as though he was about to die out of torture. Which he, literally, was doing.

Kurenai eyed the helpless Kakashi before her eyes and found the sight very amusing. Unfortunately for her soft heart, she pitied him. "Okay, if you want it back, let's make a deal", she told him at last after some arguing with Inner Kurenai who just wanted to throw it in the fire and get it over with, while Outer Kurenai couldn't help but find the wildly sobbing Kakashi damn sexy when he was begging on his knees not to throw the book in the fire.

"A deal?" Kakashi's ears perked up eagerly.

"Yup."

"And what's that? That I'll have to kiss you?" Kakashi stuck out her tongue at her, at which Kurenai went bright red. During Valentine's the previous year, a couple of students had tried to play matchmakers and written 'secret letters' to Kurenai on which they had signed 'Kakashi'. Kurenai had sensed something was up, so she had called on Kakashi and asked him whether or not he recognized this handwriting of any student's. Kakashi had read the letter and laughed his head off, seeing how the letter had been a 'pleading' of Kakashi's that she'd permit him kissing her. Kurenai had not blushed very little back then, and her temper had arose in a way very similar to Tenten's when Neji embarrassed her.

"Pervert!" Kurenai hissed and hit him hard on the head with the book, namely 'Icha Icha _Paradise__' – or 'Come Come _ _Paradise__' as it had recently been translated to. "No, I want some revenge."_

"Revenge?" Kakashi repeated in puzzlement. He had known Kurenai for quite some time, and he couldn't remember her holding grudge against anyone.

"Yes", she smirked evilly. "Your students. I think I recognize that handwriting now. Seems pretty much like a remix of Tenten's and Kari's, don't you think?"

"Hmm, I've never thought about it. What kind of revenge would you like, then?"

"Okay, let's see. Because Tsunade-sama wanted to celebrate this school's anniversary she planned to have a class go to _Versailles__, and she made a little private lottery among us teachers which you missed. Your class won, they're going to spend a night at _ _Versailles__. Super expensive, I can tell you, but Tsunade-sama is damn rich."_

"Uh-huh. What about that?"

"I want boys to sleep with girls."

"EH!" Kakashi stared in disbelief at her. Not that he'd mind, but since when had Kurenai turned into a pervert? A female one, too…

"I DON'T MEAN THAT KIND OF SLEEP!" Kurenai yelled, going even redder in the face as she whacked him again. "I mean, like, share a bedroom or something. They don't even need to sleep on the same bed, one can sleep at the floor and stuff. If they ask why, just say there are several rooms under restoration so there aren't bedrooms enough."

"Hmm. Playing matchmaker, ne?"

"Ah, yes. I was thinking of matching some certain people." Her 'I'm-evil-so-let's-not-pretend-that-I'm-kind-anymore' smirk returned. "Like Tenten and Neji, Hinata and Naruto, and that Uchiha with someone. Just try any girl who isn't a fangirl."

"A girl who isn't a fangirl?... That'd be difficult."

"Is that new Sakura a fangirl?"

"Hmm… not of what I know."

"Then set her and Uchiha up. Deal?"

"Okay, deal. Give me that book now!"

Kurenai stuck her tongue out at him before throwing Icha Icha _Paradise__ in his face. _

_End Flashback._

"And now to group two. Hikari, Shikamaru, Ino, Chouji, Stella and Lee."

"Why?" Shikamaru demanded to know. "Why do we've to share a bedroom?"

"Ah… because there aren't bedrooms enough in the castle. Most bedrooms are under restoration, which means that you've got to share."

"But why of opposite gender?"

Kakashi smirked. "Because we want to improve your… say, _social life_."

Shikamaru went deep red in the face. "What the hell? Whether or not we want a girlfriend should be up to us, not you!"

"Why, why, why. I haven't said you must become a couple during just a night. I mean that you can get more friends of the opposite gender. Of what I can see, most people in this class hang out with people of their own gender", Kakashi sneered. "And besides, I decide who you're going to spend the night with."

"NANI!" the entire class exploded.

"Ah, I forgot to say that. Group 1 – Hinata and Naruto, Neji and Tenten –"

At this, Tenten wailed: "WHY! WHY ME? WHY HIM? CAN'T IT BE ANYBODY ELSE!"

"We'll be have a nice night, huh?" Neji teased in a seductive way. Though Tenten knew he was just joking, she almost choked him, her face a blood-red color. Kakashi coughed, making her stop.

"And Sakura and Sasuke", he finished his sentence.

Dead silence.

Then…

"WHAT THE HELL!" Sasuke's fanclub and James burst out, standing up from their chairs and glaring at both Kakashi and Sakura (James glared at Sasuke, of course). Sakura sweatdropped, and shrunk in her seat.

_Oh no – I'm dead. Oh no – I'm dead. Oh no – I'm so, so, so dead…_, Sakura thought nervously.

"SAKURA HARUNO! YOU'RE NOT JUST A LITTLE RUDE, ARE YOU!" Ino exploded in her face as she stomped down to Sakura's seat. "HOW DARE YOU SLEEP WITH _MY _SASUKE-KUN!"

Sakura blushed furiously as she glared back, now a bit irritated. "He's not your boyfriend, Ino, and besides, don't make it sound like we're… we're going to… we're JUST GOING TO SHARE A BEDROOM ANYWAY!" she screeched back in Ino's face, whom unsurely backed away. "SO SHUT UP BEFORE I'M GETTING MAD!"

Everybody sweatdropped before Kakashi smiled and continued with the list.

---

Sasuke was chuckling when Sakura, silent as hell, followed him to his limousine, where his driver was waiting for them. Sakura looked up, flushing slightly.

"What's so funny?" he heard her ask with an embarrassed voice.

"You", Sasuke responded, giving her his Uchiha trademark smirk. Normally, a girl would've fainted out of joy if he had done that. Sakura didn't. Her flush just got deeper.

"What about me? What's so funny?" she demanded to know.

"The way you exploded back there in Ino's face. I've never seen you mad before, normally you stand there like an idiot, forgiving everyone and everything."

"Ah… that", she replied unsurely, looking away, blushing even more. "Um… gomen."

"Gomen?" he repeated, raising an eyebrow. "For what?"

"Eh… uh… I said some embarrassing things, didn't I?" she laughed nervously. "I… I kind of get like that when I'm mad. Eh… I just… babble on about things I shouldn't talk about. I mean –"

"You babble even when you're not mad", Sasuke interrupted her, still wearing his infamous smirk. "But it's not like I care, it's pretty cute, actually."

"Eh? You think so?" Sakura's face lit up slightly. "A-Arigatou. Uhm… usually, people say I'm annoying when I babble."

"You are. That's what so cute about it", Sasuke chuckled, leaving Sakura in confusion. Sasuke thought for himself that he had said more than enough, and coughed. "Well, anyway, we'll be going to Naruto's", he told the driver. "He lives just ten blocks away, and still he's always late." Sasuke rolled his eyes. "Have you got the homework, by the way?"

"Uh… yeah!" Sakura beamed, still wearing a faint pink tint on her cheeks. "The… history essay, right?"

"Aa."

Silence. Normally Sasuke wouldn't mind, but he couldn't think of anything else except how… embarrassing this silence was? Embarrassing? No, impossible. Sasuke Uchiha is never embarrassed. He hadn't even blushed a single time in his entire life. OK, maybe once. Or twice. Or thrice. Or… whatever, anyway! It wasn't like he'd be embarrassed being with this little pink-haired, babbling nerd. Right?...

"Sasuke-sama", the driver said. "We're here."

Relieved to leave this uncomfortable silence, Sasuke opened the car door at the same time as Sakura and stepped out of the black, slim car.

---

"Ah…!" Sakura looked up at the huge villa. "Is… is this really Naruto's?"

"You wouldn't believe it, but he's a rich dobe", Sasuke merely answered.

"Wow…" Sakura thought of her own little apartment at home and flushed again. She felt Sasuke's curious glance, and decided to ignore it, or else she'd blush even more. "Eh… sh-shall we enter?" she asked him anxiously in a very Hinata-like manner.

_What the hell is wrong with me? _Sakura thought angrily. _Why am I behaving like this? Was it because of Ino?_

No, it's because he's just so damn sexy and you know you can't resist him, a voice replied in the back of her mind.

_You? _she groaned inwardly. _Again? I thought you had gone since I came to _ _Paris__._

No, here I am – Inner Sakura! C'mon, Outer Sakura. I know you can't resist him.

And how the hell do you know that?

Because I am you. Duh, baka.

If you don't want me to kick your ass right now, you better shut up.

Hahaha. Veeeery funny, forehead girl.

_You do realize that if you tease me for my forehead_ _you're teasing yourself too, right?_

"Sakura?" a voice asked. Sakura looked up, her cheeks bright red.

"E-e-eh?" she stuttered. "Hai! S-S-Sasuke-kun?"

DAMMIT! CAN I STOP STAMMERING! she shrieked in her mind.

Sasuke raised an eyebrow. "What's up with you? You totally spaced out and now you're acting like you did in the car again."

"Eh? Ah, gomen!" she laughed nervously. She then realized Sasuke stood by the door. "Uh... have you rung the doorbell yet?"

"Yeah." He shrugged. Then the door opened, and a girl stood there, blinking at them, before smiling brightly at Sasuke.

"Aaaah! Saaaasuke-nee-san!" she exclaimed, attempting to hug Sasuke who quickly withdrew.

"Hey, Helene, I'm not your aniki, Naruto is", Sasuke commented. "Where is that dobe, anyway?"

Naruto? Aniki? Sakura repeated in disbelief in her thoughts. She couldn't picture him as an older brother.

"Yeah, yeah." The girl named Helene pouted. "Why can't you just be kind to me, Sasuke-kun?"

"Because I'm not your aniki", Sasuke responded in irritation. "Where's the dobe?"

"Naruto? He's in his room. Coughing like mad, I don't wanna go near him. If you wanna see him, find his room yourself, I won't even get close to that door", Helene shivered. Sakura sweatdropped. What a kind sister, she thought in sarcasm.

"Okay, then. Let me in", Sasuke grunted, and as Helene stepped aside, he went over the threshold. Then, when Sakura tried to step over it, Helene stopped her abruptly and glared at her suspiciously.

"Who're you?" she demanded to know. "Sasuke-kun's girlfriend? Because if you are, I want to kill you here and now!"

"No", Sakura answered embarrassedly. "I'm Naruto's friend. I arrived here with Sasuke-kun because we're all in the same crew at school."

"I won't believe you! You just want to be alone with Sasuke-kun so you can make out", Helene sneered.

Goddammit, can she stop sounding like Kari? Sakura thought in frustration.

"Let. Me. In", Sakura hissed, giving her a death glare.

"Never. In. My. Life", Helene glared back.

"Hey, Helene, let her in now or else we'll never get that homework done", Sasuke shouted from the hall. Helene made an ugly face at Sakura before stepping aside again. Sakura shot her a triumphant grin without knowing why before quickly catching up with Sasuke.

---

"Sasuke-teme! Sakura-chan!" Naruto smiled weakly from his bed.

"Wow, you look really ill", Sakura commented with a worried frown, now having regained the ability to talk commonly again after the little glaring contest with Helene.

"I am", Naruto coughed. "So what're you guys doing here?"

"Homework", Sasuke muttered.

"And news!" Sakura beamed. "You know, the day after tomorrow we'll spend a night at Versailles."

"Wow! That's true!" Naruto exclaimed excitedly, and then coughing much again.

"Here", Sakura said helpfully, handing him a glass of water by his bed.

"Arigatou", Naruto croaked hoarsely before gulping down the entire liquid the large glass contained. No wonder he could do that, he had practiced eating ramen as quick as possible since he learned how to eat.

"Now, don't talk too much", Sakura scolded him. Naruto glanced at Sasuke, who seemed a bit envious of all the attention he got. Naruto hid a grin. So he did care for this girl, ne? "See, we've been divided into groups and, well, people must share a bedroom with a person of the opposite gender."

"Reaaaally? I hope we get to share a room, Sakura-chan!" Naruto beamed, and then glanced at Sasuke again from the corner of the eye. Even though it was hardly noticeable, a vein was popping on Sasuke's head. Thankfully for Sasuke, Sakura didn't pay attention.

"Ah... no, you're going to share a room with Hinata-chan", Sakura blushed. "We've already been told who we're going to share rooms with."

"And who're you going to share room with, then?" he asked curiously.

"Uh... um... Sasuke-kun", she stuttered, and looked at him with a nervous smile.

"Hn", Sasuke merely answered.

Sasuke-teme, ne? Naruto thought evilly. Interesting...

* * *

Tsukiko: And just to be nice on Sasuke-kun's birthday (and on mine, which is tomorrow XD) I'll publish the next chapter... -drumroll- tomorrow:D  
Inner Tsukiko: Hooray for Sasuke-kun!  
Tsukiko: And me.  
Inner Tsukiko: Who cares about you? Happy birthday, Sasuke-kuun!  
Tsukiko: -sniff- I feel so unloved... T.T Anyhow... I hope you liked the chapter, and ja ne :D

* * *

Reviews Corner 

cherryblossom-gal: Thanks :) Yeah, Ino is a bit obsessive... XD  
white-rosekiss: Thanks :D  
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iM a AweOmE gUrL: Thanks :D  
HeartAngel: Nah, she's not really a bitch, like I said, just being downright weird. XD Heheheh... I like confusing people... -smirks evilly- Omg, a Gaara pencil holder? Mewants too! -drools- A Sasuke-kun pencil holder too... or a Sakura... or... or.. -daydreams-  
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* * *

_**Sneak Preview of Next Chapter: Maybe I**_

_Maybe she was the first girl to crack the ice around Sasuke's heart. Maybe she'd be his first close friend who wasn't a guy since... well, a particular someone he knew._

_Just maybe._

**(A/N: If you find weird mistakes, such as sentences in bold or italics that are not supposed to be, or sentences thatare repeated when they're not supposed to be, or words pasted together likethis, please tell me. x.x I don't know if it's just like that or if it's just my dad's computer, but I'm having problems with the mentioned things.)**


	6. Maybe I

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Naruto. We all know that by now, right?

**Tsukiko: **A little present to everyone because it's the day after Sasuke-kun's birthday x3 (And it's my birthday too XD)

* * *

---

♥ Chapter VI: Maybe I ♥  
---

"Baka", Sasuke muttered under his breath as Naruto danced around, fully recovered, as they waited for Kakashi to arrive at the metro station.

"Ne, Sasuke-kun? Did you say something?" Sakura asked curiously as she looked at him.

"Hn."

"That's a yes? Or no?"

Sasuke sighed. She never gave up asking him about that, did she? "It's a no."

"Aha, okay! Always good to know", Sakura beamed in reply before continuing her discussion with Tenten about music.

"I can't believe they're talking about something as boring as that", Neji complained beside Sasuke who were listening to the girls' conversation. "I mean, who cares if Black Eyed Peas' 'Where is the Love' is better than Alicia Keys' 'Karma' or not?"

Sasuke raised an eyebrow. "Of what I can recollect, Neji, you were just talking about BEP this morning."

Neji went tomato-red in the face. "Yes, I did, but it was different! At least I talked about BEP's new album –"

"Like that makes any difference", Naruto teased him.

"Oh, just shut up, dobe", Neji retorted, irritated.

"Someone is picking up Sasuke's bad habits, ne?" Tenten suddenly said from behind.

"Not!" Neji responded hotly.

"Who said they were bad?" Sasuke said, raising an eyebrow.

"Me!" Tenten replied firmly.

Sasuke and Neji exchanged looks, before shrugging and deciding to leave it to be before Tenten got one of her wrath attacks again.

---

"Wow… this place is huge", Sakura gasped in wonder as they approached Versailles.

"Duh, what do you think? It's a palace, for heaven's sake!" Kari said teasingly.

"A castle", Tenten corrected her. "Hinata, you've been quiet ever since we departed, what's with you today?"

"Ah? Eh, um… nothing. I… I'm just..." Hinata blushed.

"Excited?" Tenten grinned.

"Ah… yes."

"Hey, girls, you know where our rooms are?" Neji asked them as the guys walked towards them.

"Yeah. We were lucky, got the royal quarters", Tenten informed them. "Neji, you and I have gotten Louis XV's Bedchamber, while you, Sasuke and Sakura, have gotten the Queen's Bedchamber. Hinata and Naruto, you two sleep in the King's Bedchamber. And also, I've gotten hold of a map which shows the different rooms so we won't get lost." **(A/N: I've been to Versailles now, and I know that most rooms are under restoration and that the furniture have like those things that stops people from trespassing, but let's just forget that crap now, ne?)**

"Great", Sakura beamed, enthusiasm showing in every part of her wide smile. "So, where to go now?"

"I think we should go to each room and check it out", Tenten grinned. "What do you think, Hinata?"

"Um, right", Hinata stammered. The guys agreed, and off they went.

---

First they went to the King's Bedchamber. It was a marvelous sight; the entire décor seemed to be made of pure gold, from the golden fence that separated the bed from the rest of the room to the walls, and even the little trophy-shaped sculptures at the fireplace.

"Wow, we're going to sleep _here_?" Naruto looked around in amazement. It was certainly a fantastic architecture – and without a doubt the king's own bedroom. The floor was wiped clean, and everything looked perfect. Hinata smiled shyly.

"Beautiful", she whispered.

"Yeah, it's really pretty", Sakura agreed.

"Hey, my fanclub doesn't know where we are, right?" Sasuke asked nervously. He didn't want to wake up in the middle of the night to have fifteen fans (there were more in school, thankfully not all of them were in his class) clinging to him.

"Don't worry, they don't", Tenten laughed. "Now, to your and Sakura's bedroom…"

The Queen's Bedchamber wasn't lesser astounding than the King's. The fence was golden too, but next to the fence were several stools made of gold with seats that looked more like beautiful pillows than actual chairs. The bed was enormous and inviting, while the rest of the room looked more like something taken from a beautiful dream than a realistic room.

"So… beautiful…", Sakura murmured, taking in the sight with her heart and soul. She couldn't believe she'd spend the night here. Then, on second thought, to spend it with Sasuke suddenly disturbed her spiritual nature. There would probably be a heavy silence between them again, as in the car… not too comfortable to fall asleep.

"Now, to Louis XV's bedchamber!" Tenten said excitedly, and trotted off happily.

Louis XV's bedchamber was lesser fancy, but it was certainly breathtaking too. Gold, white and wine-red along with a dark wooden floor what was came to their eyes at first.

"Nice", Neji commented.

"I want to sleep in the bed!" Tenten exclaimed. "Seems pretty soft to me." And then she put her things down and threw herself on it.

"Hey, who said you could sleep on the bed? I want, too", Neji argued.

"Sleep it on it, both of you, then, if you've such a huge trouble deciding", Sakura teasing, making both of them go red in the face.

"Never!" they blurted out at the same time.

"Who's going to sleep on the floor you two, anyway?" Tenten quickly asked as revenge.

"Um, I don't know. I could, if Sasuke-kun wants the bed", Sakura offered nicely. Sasuke shrugged.

"Whatever. It's not like it matters to me anyway", he replied blankly.

"Let's go off and see the garden! I've heard it's gigantic", Sakura suggested with sparkling eyes of joy. "I love flowers!"

"M-m-me too", Hinata murmured silently.

"Okay, off we go, then!" Tenten agreed brightly, and dragged along the groaning guys.

---

The gardens of Versailles did not disappoint their high hopes. The girls gasped as they saw what was before them – it seemed like they were in a too divine place to be true. The guys weren't all that impressed, but they couldn't help but admit it was pretty.

"Look at all the flowers! And the fountains!" Sakura cried.

"Yeah! And… everything!" Tenten chimed in.

"Hey, there's Kari-chan and Ino, let's go and say hi to them!" Naruto suggested and they all ran towards the little group that was arguing.

"I don't want to sleep in that goddamned Empress' Bedchamber! I want Emperor's, at least it's kind of purple!" Ino protested.

"This is troublesome…", Shikamaru muttered. "Why can't you just give it up? Nobody wants to switch."

"Just because _you _want the bed! Forget it, bastard, I'll have it for myself!" Ino yelled.

"Troublesome woman", Shikamaru said, rolling his eyes.

"I'm not giving you the Emperor's Bedchamber, I want it for myself", Kari told her in glee.

"Shut it up, you damned witch!" Ino screeched. "Just because Chouji would break the bed if he slept on it!"

"What did you say?" Chouji asked threateningly.

"Hey, hey, guys, calm it", Stella sweatdropped.

"Yeah. Calm it", Lee insisted.

"Ohayou! What's up?" Naruto grinned at them.

"Ah… ohayou, Naruto-kun", Lee greeted. "We're doing fine, except that everybody is having a hard time deciding what bedchamber they shall use."

"Haven't Kakashi-sensei told you which bedchamber you'll get?" Sakura asked in surprise.

"Yes, he has, but they want to switch", Stella sighed. "And – OH MY GOD IT'S SASUKE-KUN!"

Naruto sweatdropped. "Er… Sakura, watch out, you're standing in her way –"

But he didn't manage to finish. Stella, who had hearts in her eyes, pushed Sakura hard so she fell into a fountain, and then dashed off towards Sasuke who wore an unmistakeable frown. As Ino heard the noise, she saw Sasuke and darted off too.

"Sakura-chan? You OK?" Naruto asked as he helped her out of the water.

"Ew! That water was gross!" Sakura spat and glared at Stella who attempted to glomp the hell out of Sasuke. "What the hell was she doing, pushing me into it?"

"She's like that. When she sees Sasuke-teme, her strength becomes like, ten times stronger, and normally she's already freaking strong, I can tell you", Tenten smirked. "I don't like that girl that much, but sometimes she's useful."

"You make her sound like an item, Tenten-chan, that isn't nice of you", Hinata said, her voice filled with concern.

"Don't be too kind, Hinata-chan, you're that sometimes", Tenten sighed. "Like I care about her anyway, Stella is just one big baka. Even a bigger baka than Neji."

Hinata giggled. She didn't exactly like people speaking ill of her cousin, but she knew Tenten didn't mean it.

"Sasuke-kun! Move to our group instead, and share a bedroom with me!" Ino pleaded. "Or I can share a bedroom with you… and throw _her_ out", she added, giving an evil glare to Sakura.

"S-S-Sasuke-kun!" Kari stammered, showing up behind Ino and Stella. "I've a gift… for you…"

"Leave him alone, brat! You don't deserve his attention!" Stella snarled, pushing Kari away. Fortunately for Kari, the push wasn't that strong as the one towards Sakura.

"… Eh, Sasuke-kun? I think we might leave now", Sakura said, appearing next to Kari.

"Sakura, you're wet", Sasuke remarked calmly. "Don't you want to go back and change?"

"Ah, no. It'll dry in a while", Sakura shrugged. "Anyhow, I want to see more of the gardens before it darkens."

"I want to come too!" the three fangirls burst out at a time.

"Forget about it", Sasuke muttered.

"C'mon, let's leave!" Naruto shouted and began to run. The six of them ran away as fast as they could, and at last, the lovesick fangirls disappeared out of sight and gave up chasing them.

---

After some more breathtaking beauty of Versailles, they decided to rest a while from their walking, so they rested their exhausted feet on the grass, when Tenten suddenly shivered.

"Boy, it's getting cold… I knew I should've brought a jacket", she mumbled through gritted teeth.

"Freezing?" Neji sneered at her.

"Not", Tenten snapped, but Neji could see she was lying.

"You wanna borrow mine?" he offered kindly.

"No thanks, I'm doing fine."

Then, Sakura felt something wet on her cheek. _I'm crying? Why?_

She wiped it away in confusion, when she felt another droplet on her knee, and realized it wasn't her tears.

"Oh, no! It has begun to rain!" Naruto exclaimed. "C'mon, let's find somewhere to hide!"

They ran as the rain started to become heavier, and the grass became wet, and finally they found a little cute cottage, which looked as though it had just appeared from a fairy tale.

"What's that?" Sasuke asked as he panted for breath.

"The mill!" Tenten shouted a few meters in front of them. "Hurry up, we'll get soaked!"

When they finally sheltered from the rain, panting because of their run, they felt their stomachs rumble.

"I need food", Naruto complained.

"So do I", Tenten moaned. "Does anyone have something edible?"

"I've only got chewing gum. I think there're five left", Sakura smiled weakly as she reached for the left pocket of her jeans and pulled out a box of cherry-flavored chewing gum in the color of pink. "Here, guys. Take one each." She offered the box to everyone, but as she reached Sasuke, the last one, he shook his head.

"There're only five. Take one yourself", he replied. "I'm not too fond of sweets anyway."

"You're not hungry?" Sakura asked in disbelief.

"I am, but I can stand it for a bit longer."

"C'mon, have it. I'll do fine. I ate a bunch of food for breakfast", Sakura responded stubbornly.

"No, take it. I don't want it."

"C'mon, Sasuke-kun!"

"No."

"… Alright, then. Don't tell me later that you've regretted your decision, 'cause I've no more", Sakura warned him and shoved the last chewing gum in her mouth.

"I won't. I never regret my decisions", Sasuke told her blankly.

Time went, and in some weird way, everyone fell asleep (maybe the cottage was enchanted XD) and had very strange dreams. Naruto dreamed that he was drowning in his own ramen; Hinata dreamed that she was jumping from star to star to find her friends, but they weren't anywhere; Neji dreamed that Tenten was trying to seduce him; Tenten dreamed that Neji tried to seduce her and Sasuke dreamed of seeing Sakura in a queen's outfit, dancing on the floor of the Queen's Bedchamber together with him who was dressed in the king's outfit. **(A/N: Hahaha… Neji and Tenten are reflecting each other's dreams… XD)**

As Sasuke awoke with a start, he felt his cheeks burn. Why did he dream of Sakura? And why were they a couple in his dream? Maybe just because of that they had to sleep together in the same room. It was a first for him; maybe that was why. But somewhere, in the depths of Sasuke's heart, he knew he was lying to himself. There was another reason, but he didn't want to admit it. Not yet.

Maybe she was the first girl to crack the ice around Sasuke's heart. Maybe she'd be his first **_close _**friend who wasn't a guy since… well, a particular someone he knew.

Just maybe.

"Sasuke-kun? You look as though you've a fever", he heard a familiar voice whisper, making him stiffen. He stared at the source of the voice and realized that a certain pink-haired girl looked at him right beside him.

"Sakura?" he whispered back. "Why is everyone asleep?"

"No idea. You guys just fell asleep."

"You didn't?"

"No. I'm not sleepy. Slept too much last night, actually."

He heard the raindrops smattered towards the glass of the windows. "It's still raining?" he asked.

"Yeah. It has gone two hours and it still rains." She shivered. "It's kinda cold in here, don't you think?"

"Really?" Sasuke blinked. He hadn't noticed it. Then he saw she was wearing a pink top and jeans, and remembered Stella had pushed her into the fountain. He himself wore a black t-shirt underneath a white jacket, white shorts and white sneakers. He glanced at her feet – she was wearing sandals. No wonder she froze.

"Here", he said, offering her his white jacket. "Take it."

"No, no, you can have it! I'm not freezing… at… all", Sakura said through chattering teeth. Sasuke smirked.

"You don't?" he asked in amusement.

"No, I don't!"

"You lie very badly. Almost similar to Kakashi-sensei", he sighed and pulled off his jacket, handing it to her. "If you don't take it, I'm going to put it on the floor. That'd be a waste, right? I won't wear it anyway."

Sakura bit her lip. "OK, OK, then. I'll take it. But only for a while", she added and gave him a meaningful look. She really _was _amusing. She gently pulled on the jacket, and a warmth spread through her body. She shivered out of comfort before feeling that her eyelids became heavy.

"Sasuke-kun", she asked sleepily, "When will the rain stop, do you think?"

Sasuke eyed his wristwatch. 7:30 PM, already? They had been here for two hours! "No idea. I think we should go back soon. What about waking the others? The sooner we get back to the castle, the better. We might catch a cold in here, or they might think we got lost or something. Or an accident happened to us."

"Yeah. Let's not worry Kakashi-sensei", Sakura agreed, and her sleepiness was driven away by her mind as she started to gently shook her friends to awaken. "Tenten, Hinata. Let's get up and head back to our rooms."

"Mm… I want to sleep, mom, leave me alone", Tenten muttered, shifting in her sleeping position.

"WAKE UP ALREADY!" Sasuke shouted, making everybody awake with a start.

"Hey, what's up with ya, Sasuke-teme?" Naruto yelled at him.

"Easier to wake you up then", he smirked back. "No use to try to be gentle, you'd just fall asleep all over again then."

"Sasuke has got a point there", Neji yawned. "What now, anyway?"

"It's 7:30 PM already. Let's go back to the castle", Sasuke replied.

" 7:30 PM? Oh my god!" Tenten gasped. "We haven't eaten lunch yet, even! How long have we been walking?"

"Two hours, I'd guess. And we've been here for two hours. And we arrived a bit too late in the castle. Our lunch is still in our bedrooms, if I'm correct?"

"Yup. We were told to bring it ourselves", Sakura responded.

"OK. Then we better head back to the castle and eat, we've already missed dinner", Sasuke said, and they all scrambled up from the floor and took off in the rain.

---

Three hours went, and the rain didn't stop. Every now and then, the gang would pause here and there, in the safety of a tree perhaps, or in a small building. At last, they were back in Versailles, but to their dismay it was dark in the castle. Completely black.****

"I wonder where everyone is?" Sakura whispered as they tiptoed through the royal courtyard.

"Kakashi-sensei has probably told them to go to their bedrooms by now. It'd be kinda stupid to walk around this late at night", Tenten hissed back in reply. "And – EEEK!"

"Eh? Tenten? That's you?" a familiar whisper could be heard.

"Yeah, it's me", Tenten answered.

"What're you guys doing here this late?" the voice whispered, as the face came into view thanks to an electric torch. It was Kari.

"We were far out in the grounds when it began to rain", Sakura responded in a hushed voice.

"Aha." Kari nodded. "I'm going back to where Ino and everyone are. We argued, so I got mad and walked away, but I think I can find my way back. How about you? Need any help?"

"No thanks", Sasuke grunted. "C'mon, let's go!"

"Okay, ja ne!" Sakura grinned at Kari and walked off with the others.

---

"Ne, Sasuke-kun?" Sakura whispered.

"Hn?"

"Where're we?"

Sasuke looked around and cursed himself for agreeing to the others' idea to divide up in pairs, and go and search for that pair's bedroom. To be honest, he had exactly no idea where they were, but he didn't really want to tell that to Sakura – she'd probably begin to panic. He hated when she did that.

"I think we're in the…"

Sasuke tried to memorize what Tenten had told them about the ground floor and first floor before they had all gone separate directions. Royal courtyard, the Princes' staircase… what more?

"The…?" Sakura repeated hopefully.

A thought struck Sasuke's mind. He touched the first wall that came into his very limited sight in the dark, and realized it was a pole. A pole! Then it must be a special room… like… the Royal Chapel! He slapped his forehead. Of course. The girls had been babbling about seeing the 'beautiful' Royal Chapel since they came here.

"The Royal Chapel", he replied with a monotone voice. **(A/N: I know The Royal Chapel is under restoration. XD But as I said before, let's forget all that, 'kay?)**

"Then we're in the totally wrong end!" Sakura sighed. "We're on the east side of the ground floor."

Sasuke frowned. East side? "Isn't it the west?" he tried.

"Ne… I don't think so. The west… there was a staircase there, I think it was called the Princes' Staircase or something…"

"There's no staircase here, then?"

"Uh, maybe. But that must be in the other end of the 17th Century-room", Sakura said, scrunching up her face in confusion. "Or… wait! If we get out of this room and into the Royal Courtyards, it's just to find the straight way to either the Dauphine's Apartment or the Princes' Staircase, and then we'll be on the first floor!"

"You sure about that?" Sasuke asked in disbelief.

"Yup. 100 percent", Sakura responded with pride. "C'mon, Sasuke-kun, what're we waiting for? Let's go!"

Sasuke sighed and followed the hyperactive Sakura towards the door, but…

---

… they just couldn't seem to find the right door.

"Dammit, Neji! It's all your fault!" Tenten swore.

"You've said that for the last half an hour", Neji muttered "Where the heck are we?"

"How the hell am I supposed to know? Dammit, Neji! It's all your fault!"

"Why is everything _my _fault? You were the one who said we should go this way!" he snapped and looked around in the darkened room. "I'm getting freakin' frustrated to hear you say that all the time! Can't you stop blaming me?"

"Fine", Tenten grunted and crossed her arms. "If you can get us out of here, then I won't blame you any more. For a week", she added.

"Wow, what a wonderful reward", Neji sarcastically replied. "Hey, there's a door over there."

As they approached the door…

---

… they felt the cold night breeze towards them.

"What the hell! I can't find back to our room!" Naruto cried out of anguish and slapped his forehead.

"N-N-Naruto-kun", Hinata stammered. "Do-don't be so fr-frustrated. W-w-we'll find it, s-s-sooner or later."

"Ah, arigatou, Hinata", Naruto smiled. "You're so kind. Maybe I should treat you some ramen someday."

Hinata blushed furiously at this – thankfully Naruto couldn't see it in the dark – and stuttered: "A-a-arigatou, N-N-Naruto-kun."

"Okay, so we're probably in some bedroom now, 'cause it's dark as hell…"

And then, they heard…

---

… a shriek.

"Sasuke-kun!" a fangirl bawled in her sleep, making Sasuke stiffen. They had entered a bedroom?

"C'mon, the staircase is right over there", Sakura hissed in his ear, and her breath tickled his neck comfortably. Sasuke shivered as he followed her almost soundless footsteps. Somehow, this girl made him so… warm inside.

But it couldn't be _that_ again, could it? Ever since Cindy…

"Sasuke-kun!" Sakura whispered again. "C'mon! It's already 11:30 pm!"

"Aa", Sasuke replied, hardly hearable. Damn, was he thinking about Cindy again? He better got her out of his head soon…

* * *

**Tsukiko: **Much more SasuSaku coming soon:) Enjoooy!

* * *

**Reviews Corner**

amylovestakuya: Thanks, I'm glad that you like it :)  
Crazy Gal42: Hmm... I don't think anyone will die in this fic. I haven't planned it so far, at the very least XD But (spoiler!) I can guarantee definite fluff throughout the story.  
frienz4ever: Thanks for thanking me for thanking you XD Anyway, thanks :P  
sasusaku0386: Thanks :D  
silverkage-chan: Thanks, I like KakaKure too, and I agree that there aren't many stories that contain that pairing x.x I'm actually thinking whether or not I should add an extra bonus chapter to this story that's about KakaKure, to make it a more obvious couple than just adding some fluff :)  
yankeesfan76: Thanks, and Happy Early Birthday to you too:D  
hushhushyou: Thanks :D Yeah, I wonder how Kari will react... -smirks-  
Zuan: Thanks :)  
Gabbeh: Thanks :D  
Akina Darkheart: Thanks, and don't worry, I will :D

* * *

**_Sneak Preview of Next Chapter: Maybe II_**

_Sasuke looked at her a couple of times, and without knowing why, he pulled her closer and rested her head towards his chest. "It'll be fine", he whispered back. "Don't cry…"_

**(A/N: If you find errors such as words pasted together likethis, sentences that are in bold or italics when they shouldn't be or sentences that are repeated even though they're not supposed to, please tell me. This happens a lot out of some unknown reason, and it isn't because it was like that from the beginning - no, when I edit the chapters after uploading them, they get like that. I don't know why, maybe it's my dad's computer being weird.)**


	7. Maybe II

**Disclaimer: **We all know that I don't own Naruto, right? xP

* * *

---

♥ Chapter VII: Maybe II ♥  
---

Finally back in their chamber, Sasuke sighed out of relief and reached for his backpack, which he knew he had thrown close to the door. As he opened his backpack, he heard Sakura scramble around in the room.

"What're you doing?" he asked, now with a normal voice since they needn't whisper anymore.

"Looking for my bag", she answered. "I want to find an electric torch."

"I've gotten one here", Sasuke said, picking up his from his backpack and switching it on. "And your bag is over here, too."

Sakura grinned and walked towards the source of light, but as she did so, she tripped over something…

… and fell right on top of Sasuke, their faces an inch away from each other.

This made both of them go red in the face, and Sakura muttered an inaudible 'gomen' as she opened her bag and got her lunchbox out of it. Sasuke did the same, and they both sat down on the floor and ate in silence.

---

"I can't believe we made it, at last", Tenten grinned happily and threw herself on the bed. "Aaaaah… what a soft bed." She closed her eyes.

"Who said you were going to sleep in it?" Neji asked as he drew apart the curtains to reveal the moonlight. "I want, too."

"Hmph. You'll sleep on the floor if you don't want to die."

"What? But I haven't brought a sleeping bag!"

"Not my fault."

"You're pitiless", Neji said, putting on a pouting face. Tenten resisted the urge to go and hug him.

_Dammit! Not again! He knows I always fall for that act… well, he is pretty kawaii when he does it… DAMMIT! _

As Tenten's stomach began to groan loudly for food, her thoughts were driven away, and she jumped off the bed and quickly got her bentou out of her bag. "Mm… food. Seems like I haven't eaten for years", she commented as she shoved mouthfuls of rice into her mouth with chopsticks.

"How can you bring something as boring as _rice _when you can make your own bentou for once? I mean, we get to eat rice everyday in school", Neji asked as he himself had his little feast consisting of noodles and soy sauce.

"Rice isn't boring. It tastes good, it's traditional and it's healthy", Tenten argued. "Besides, I hate noodles."

"You do?" Neji repeated in surprise.

Tenten stuck her tongue out at him. "Not really, but I just made fun of your bentou because you did it to me."

Neji rolled his eyes. "Wanna swap?"

"Nani?"

"I want your onigiri." He eyed the onigiri next to the rice in the lunchbox. "And you can have some of my vegetables. Seems like you're obsessed with healthy food, ne?" he teased.

"Not!" Tenten protested. "But okay, fine to me. Don't you have any meat instead? I want a hamburger."

"Go to McDonalds."

"Like there is anyone out here."

"Do it when we come home, then."

"But I want a burger _now_!"

"Like I care."

"Hmph."

"Hmph to yourself."

---

"Aaaah! Ramen!" Naruto exclaimed and hungrily ate the entire bowl of instant ramen in one gulp. Hinata giggled.

"Naruto-kun, you're funny", she laughed.

"Ne, Hinata-chan", Naruto said, looking at her with his blue, blue, _blue _eyes, which made a pink tint appear on Hinata's cheeks. "When you don't stammer, you're much cuter than usual. Can't you talk normally instead?"

"Ah… I'll t-try, Naruto-kun", Hinata smiled back. "Naruto-kun, you still seem hungry… I brought some ramen to you…"

She hid an embarrassed blush and shyly handed her some more instant ramen from her backpack. Naruto's eyes glimmered out of joy.

"Arigatou, Hinata-chan! You're the best!" he thanked her and immediately started to make some more instant ramen (thanks to Hinata's heated water, but how can it stay hot after an entire day?).

---

Night came. At Sakura's and Sasuke's, Sasuke was lying on his bed, and Sakura had curled up in her sleeping bag on the floor. Unfortunately for her, her sleeping bag was kind of old and second-hand (it had been Cindy's) and thus, it was in a crappy state. She shivered out of cold when a sudden bolt of lightning attracted her attention.

Sasuke eyed the girl on the floor. She had froze in her shuddering and looked kind of frightened in the moonlight (he, like Neji, had drawn apart the curtains). Another bolt of lightning appeared and she made a sudden yelp, and blushed.

"You afraid of the thunder?" he asked tonelessly.

She turned her head to him slowly, and nodded.

A silence fell again. As another heavy bolt of lightning could be heard, Sakura curled up tightly. When the rain continued to fall heavily, she slowly eased and whispered: "S-S-Sasuke-kun?"

"Hn?"

"Can… can I come up to the bed?"

He stared at her. "Why?"

"Because… because…" She swallowed. "I… I'm afraid."

If it had been a fangirl, Sasuke would definitely have said no. He would then have known it was just a plot to seduce him, but this was Haruno Sakura, not one of his fangirls. He thought of it a while, and then more lightning could be heard, and Sakura looked so pitiful, he at last shrugged. "Do whatever you want."

Sakura earned him a grateful look and crept up in the bed, cautious not to come too close in case he'd get mad.

More silence. Then, Sakura asked: "Ne… Sasuke-kun?"

"Hn?"

"Can we talk?"

"Why?"

"Because… then I won't think of the lightning." She smiled nervously. "But if you don't want to, that's fine by me."

"Whatever."

"Okay… what do you want to talk about?"

He shrugged.

"Ne… maybe I can ask you something?" He looked at her, still wearing a blank expression, though he couldn't help but admire her beauty, wearing pink PJs that exactly matched her hair, he could see her perfectly formed figure (they had changed clothes by taking turns of changing – one changed and one went out, then they did the opposite). "Why do you… dislike Kari-chan?"

He grunted. "She's just one of my annoying fans."

"But… she's kind."

"Hn."

"Sasuke-kun… have you ever liked a girl?"

His head shot up abruptly, and then he calmed down again, returning to his old, chilly self. "Why wonder?"

"Ne… just seems like you push all girls away. But everybody must have had a crush, right?"

"Hn."

"Sasuke-kun?"

"Yeah, I've had one", he muttered, irritated.

"Really?" Her eyes lit up. "Who?"

"Nobody in particular."

"Ah… I see." She looked disappointed again. "Did she like you, too?"

"…"

"Eh?"

"Hn."

"That's a yes or no?"

"… Aa."

"She liked you too? You were a couple?"

"Why do you ask so much?" he snarled.

She smiled apologetically. "Gomen. I think I asked too much, ne?"

"Hn."

"Then ask me a question, if I talk too much."

"…" Sasuke thought for a while. "Fine. I ask you the same."

"Ne?"

"If you've liked any guy."

"Aa… yes…" Her eyes turned sad for a second, before she turned her face away. "… his name was… Don." She uttered his name softly, which made Sasuke stiffen. He had never heard Sakura like this. "He… he never liked me. I thought he did… so when I told him about my feelings… he pretended to feel the same…"

For some reason, Sasuke felt his anger arise. "Why?" he asked shortly, trying to hide his aggression.

"Because he just wanted to become friends with my friend. Alisa… and once, I left them alone… I trusted them with each other… but then I forgot something and hurried back to fetch it… and I caught them in a kiss." Sakura was about to cry. "I… I got shocked. And mad. I didn't want to talk with them, I just locked myself up and when they tried to explain, I shouted at them to go away. I never met them again, but I always heard gossip about their perfect relationship from others…" A tear trickled down her cheek. "I saw them together, all the time, but we never talked."

Sasuke felt something prick in his heart. The same thing had happened to him…

**_Flashback.  
_**  
_"Sasuke-kun…?" Cindy smiled at him sadly._

_"Ah, Cindy? What's with you?" Sasuke pulled her into an embrace, and attempted to kiss her, but -_

_She pulled away, and shook her head. "Sasuke-kun, I just wanted to come here and tell you something important."_

_"What?" Sasuke grinned, but despite his happy smirk, he sensed something was wrong._

_"I… I want to break up."_

_Sasuke's grin abruptly faded away. "What?"_

_"I want to break up."_

_"Why?"_

_"Because… oh, I'm so sorry, Sasuke-kun! I've never liked you."_

_I've never liked you. I've never liked you. I've never liked you._

_Those words kept echoing in Sasuke's mind, as he felt himself captured in a nightmare. He laughed nervously._

_"You're kidding, right, Cindy? It's a funny joke, but –"_

_"I'm not kidding, Sasuke-kun." Cindy gazed at him melancholy. "I… I've indeed never liked you."_

_"Then why did we get together?" he asked. "When I told you I loved you… you said you felt the same…"_

_"I…" Cindy looked pitifully at him. "Sasuke-kun, gomen nasai. I was lying. I wanted to get close to your cousin."_

_"Toushte, Cindy?" he demanded to know, raged. "But all those kisses we've shared… all those moments… all those dates…"_

_"Sasuke-kun, for a while… when Daiki-san said he had gotten a girlfriend… I tried to love you. But I couldn't. I kept seeing Daiki-san in you, because you're cousins and so alike each other. But Sasuke-kun… I appreciate you. I like you… as a friend."_

_Sasuke stared shocked at her. As a friend! "But…"_

_"But I've come to the conclusion that I need to break up", Cindy interrupted him. "Partly because I don't want to pain you anymore. Partly because Daiki-san says he feels the same."_

_"He's two-timing his girlfriend, and you help him do it?" Sasuke commented, furious._

_"I'm sorry, Sasuke-kun. I don't feel more for you than just a friend. And I'll be leaving for Paris tomorrow. Sayonara."_

_And she walked away, leaving him there – heartbroken, sad, angry, jealous… and lonely._

**_End Flashback.  
_**

"Ne, Sasuke-kun?" Sakura said gently. "You look troubled."

"Ah… it's nothing", he quickly waved away his memories and looked at Sakura. Then he saw her face full with tears.

_Those tears I wished to shed but couldn't, thinking of myself as a coward… _

"Sasuke-kun…?"

_Those tears I felt burning in my eyes when she retreated, but I held back…_

"Sasuke-kun?"

_These are those tears. The tears that now fall from her eyes in my place._

He wiped away a droplet that fell from her left eye. "Don't cry", he murmured. "It doesn't help to cry when you're heartbroken. Just leave it to be."

She blinked in surprise, and smiled warmly. "Arigatou, Sasuke-kun. I'll try not to." And Sakura wiped away the rest. "It's kind of comical, I persuaded myself not to cry when I found Don and Alisa kissing, but how I've begun to cry now when it's already been a year."

"…" _Me too,_ were the words that came across Sasuke's mind, but he couldn't make himself say them. "Sakura. Do you've any siblings?"

"Ah…? Oh, hai. My onee-chan, Haruno Shizuka." Sakura beamed. "She's pretty and smart, and she's better in everything than me. But she's really kind, too. Five years older. How about you, Sasuke-kun?"

"Uchiha Itachi, 23 years old, engaged to some girl he met in US, better than me in everything", Sasuke replied.

"What a coincidence. My sister did the same… got engaged to a man she met in the US…" Sakura giggled. "For the first time, her name actually suited her. Onee-chan has never been quiet, like her name means. But when she met him… she became so embarrassed she couldn't even manage to utter a word, and when she did, she stuttered. Kind of funny."

Sasuke smirked. "You mean like you did in the car?"

Sakura's cheeks turned pink. "Ah… but I was just… never mind", she swiftly said, looking away in embarrassment.

"You know, Sakura", he found himself saying. She turned her head in astonishment. "You look cute when you're embarrassed."

"Ah? Oh, a-a-arigatou, Sasuke-kun", she stammered and blushed even more, turning away to hide it.

Sasuke chuckled, grabbed hold of her chin gently and turned her head. "You should look at the one you're talking with", he smirked, making her go even redder in the face since his face was very close to hers.

"Ah, o-okay, Sasuke-kun."

He let go of her chin. Still blushing, she asked: "Sasuke-kun… how did you meet Neji and Naruto?"

"Them?" Sasuke's smirk disappeared. "Well, we've known each other since we were kids. Ever heard of Konoha? Small town outside Tokyo."

"Yeah! I was born there!" Sakura beamed. Sasuke stared at her. Could it be…

… her? He had always thought it was Cindy, they were so alike, but…

**_Flashback. _**

_"Saaasu-kun!" he heard her shout. "I know you're there somewhere! Saasu-kun!"_

_"My name is not 'Sasu-kun'", Sasuke pouted as he showed up behind her. The girl spun around and hid a gasp._

_"Sasu-kun!" she scolded. "Don't scare me like that!"_

_"I'm NOT 'Sasu-kun', get it?" Sasuke growled._

_"Okay then, Sasuke-kun", she sulked. "Anyway, it's your birthday! What the hell are you doing?"_

_"I've run away from home", he muttered. He remembered meeting her once, and seeing her in school, but he had eventually forgotten her name. Somehow, he knew she could be trusted._

_"On your birthday?" the girl gasped._

_"How do you know it's my birthday?" he demanded to know._

_"Because… because…" She flushed. "Ino-chan told me! I got you a present from her…"_

_Sasuke groaned. "Again?"_

_"But I dropped it on the way", she added unhappily. "I managed to save my own from the pool of water, though… here." She shoved the gift untraditionally into his hands, and blushed hard, turning away, making her soft pink hair tickle his face._

_"ACHOO!" he sneezed as it gently tickled his nose._

_"Bless you", she giggled._

_"Thanks", he muttered and ripped off the paper from the present, and blinked at the contents in surprise. "Ne…"_

_"Um, I've heard you like tomatoes, so… I got you this", she said embarrassedly._

_Sasuke could've laughed out loud. It was a price discount on tomatoes! Or not just one, but at least twenty! Like he needed them anyway, his family was rich as hell._

_"All the girls bought stuff like chocolate or flowers or something… but I thought I wanted to give you something you actually could use, but my pocket money wasn't that much because I just spent it on mom's birthday gift, so…", Sakura explained, embarrassed. Sasuke grinned at her._

_"Arigatou!" he smirked._

_"Eh? Nani?"_

_"I said: 'arigatou'!"_

_"You liked it?" she smiled widely._

_"Yeah! A lot! I love tomatoes, thank you!"_

_"Ah…! Daijoubu!" she replied happily and trotted off. "I gotta get home now, my parents must be mad… I just ran off instead of washing up, but I just wanted to give you this gift in time, I've not been out all day and if I washed up, maybe I wouldn't be able to get free before it got dark, and then I'd probably not be able to go out…"_

_He grinned. Maybe he shouldn't run away, after all… _

_"Oy... you! What's your name?"_

_"My name is…"_

**_End Flashback._**

**  
**Years passed, and Sasuke gradually forgot her name as she moved. He had only met her twice in private, otherwise he just saw her with Ino, who never let him talk. He had always thought it was Cindy in secret, but he had never told it to anyone…

… but could it be that it was Sakura who was the girl who gave him the price discount of tomatoes?

"Aa. Well, there're two big schools in Konoha – the Konoha Academy and the Konoha School. The one you're attending now is the moved Konoha Academy. Tsunade, our principal, got tired of our rival school, Konoha School, and Konoha School's principal, Orochimaru, who wants me as his student because I've the best grades in PE, and at Konoha School, PE is the most important subject." Sasuke sighed. "Anyhow, Tsunade moved this school to Paris, and changed the name to 'Sakura Mankai High' to disguise it so Orochimaru wouldn't stalk us all the way to Paris, and most people dropped off the Academy to attend the School instead because they didn't want to move to Paris. But me, Neji, Naruto, Tenten, Hinata, and several others didn't want to attend the School, so we persuaded our parents to move to Paris – see, all of us are rich dudes, so it's not like a big problem – and then we came here to attend Sakura Mankai instead. We didn't have that many students at first, so we just hung about with each other, and that's how I really befriended Neji and Naruto."

Sasuke fell in silence. That was the longest explanation he had ever had in his entire life. He didn't even know why he bothered to talk with this girl…

He looked at Sakura, who was rubbing her eyes and blinking to hold herself awake. "Ne, Sasuke-kun", she said sleepily.

"Hn?"

"… you're kind."

She smiled, before her mind dozed off and she traveled to the Land of Dreams. Sasuke couldn't help but hide a smile, and gently brushed away a couple of pink bangs from her forehead.

_She sure is cute when she's asleep,_ he thought before dozing off, too. _Maybe… just maybe, she's the girl I remember._

_---_

Sakura slowly awoke.

Her eyelids flapped a couple of times before she felt her head leaning towards something… and it wasn't a pillow. It moved.

Her lazy eyes traveled to the moving thing. A shirt? And a dark-blue one, too.

"Finally awake, ne, Sakura-chan", she heard Tenten's snickering voice say, and as her senses were awakened to life, she suddenly realized all her friends (except Kari) sat at the stools by her bed.

"Ohayou, everyone", she yawned. "Where's Sasuke-kun?"

"Look beside you", Naruto sneered, and Sakura blushed like mad as she realized she had been leaning towards Sasuke's chest and that he was still asleep. She quickly jumped off the bed and asked in a daze where the bathroom was.

"Want to vomit already?" Tenten teased.

"No, but I want to change clothes", Sakura hurriedly excused herself before moving out of the room.

Just then, Sasuke awoke. He rubbed his eyes when he realized everyone stared at him with spiteful glee from the stools.

"What the hell are you doing here?" he wondered, giving them glares.

"We were just watching the cute scene between you and Sakura", Neji taunted him. "I thought you said you didn't care for girls?"

Sasuke became bright red in the face._ Dammit!_ he thought as he remembered what he had done in the middle of the night, awaking…

**_Flashback._ **

_He awoke, to find a Sakura whimpering in her sleep. Tears were streaming from her eyes, and she was curled up into a ball. "Why are you doing this to me, Don? Alisa?" she murmured sadly in her sleep._

_Sasuke looked at her a couple of times, and without knowing why, he pulled her closer and rested her head towards his chest. "It'll be fine", he whispered back. "Don't cry…"_

_Sakura's whimpering stopped, and her peaceful sleep continued. Sasuke smiled down at her, playing with her soft pink bangs before he felt himself drift off to sleep again…_

**_End Flashback._**

"Where's the bathroom?" he asked.

"You and Sakura even talk alike!" Tenten giggled. "She just said the same thing a minute before. She has gone there now, hopefully she won't be attacked on the way…"

"Attacked?" he repeated, trying to sound monotone as usual.

"Yeah. Everyone knows about what happened. Some fangirls finally got some clues out of Kakashi-sensei where you were and then they saw you… thankfully we just stopped them in time from waking you up", Naruto laughed.

Sasuke groaned and slapped his forehead, when Sakura entered again, wearing her normal clothes. As their eyes met, they both blushed and turned away, while everyone grinned mischievously…

**

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**

**Tsukiko:** I'm sorry about the lack of NaruHina and NejiTen here. x.x; The original, planned version was supposed to have more of the two couples (including some minor KakaKure) in it,but then I realized this chapter would become friggin' long so I decided to have more SasuSaku in it instead.  
**Inner Tsukiko:** Yay for SasuSaku!  
**Tsukiko:** I hope Sasuke-kun wasn't too OOC in this chapter. xD And also, for NaruHina and KakaKure fans; I'm currently planning a bonus chapter for the two:) I hope you liked this chapter, and expect the next to come July 30th!

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Reviews Corner **

silverkage-chan: Thanks, I'm planning it now :D I'm glad you like the idea! But unfortunately, Cindy's identity won't be revealed until later on in the story. :P  
sasukerocks: Thanks :D And hey, I agree with you, Sasuke rocks! Yay for Sasuke! x3  
warming Sunshine: Hmm, you never know.. Cindy is a common name, isn't it? xP  
Crazy Gal42: Hahah, okay ;P There was some SasuSaku fluff here, and more NejiTen is coming pretty soon :) There's, however, a slight lack of NaruHina, so I decided to make a bonus chapter featuring NaruHina and KakaKure, but I don't know when it'll appearin the story yetxP And yes, Cindy will appear later on.  
sasusaku4eva101: Glad that you like my story, thanks :D  
MistressBlossom: I will :)  
Claud-kun: Sorry, I can't tell ;P Yeah, poor Neji XD  
Zuan: I don't know if you mean Paris or Versailles, but if you mean Versailles, remember to go there in spring or fall, just not in the summer x.x It's freaking hot, I almost died when I was there this summer! Especially when you walk around in the gardens. Thank God I had at least brought a fan so I wouldn't completely die out of warmth. But thanks anyway ;D  
frienz4ever: Sorry to disappoint you, but she will xP  
yankeesfan76: Thanks :) Hehe, I won't revealher identity just yet..  
sasusaku0386: You'll seewho she islater on xP And thanks ;)  
Green Animelover: Thanks :D  
puppydog101: Thanks :)

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Sneak Preview of Next Chapter: Concern **

"Hush. Don't get too fired up now", he smirked as he put a hand gently to her mouth. Sakura's cheeks turned bright red. "Your throat might get worse."

**

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Fanfictions Coming Up!**

Hi guys:D I'm glad that you like This Is (Not) My First Time so much, and I'm grateful for all the reviews I've gotten :) Anyway, to the topic... I want to ask you guys of a favor; can you please vote on which fanfic you want to see written next? I've a couple of ideas, but I don't know which one I should begin with...

Replacement - Obito asked Kakashi to take care of Rin in his place, and to grant his best friend's death wish, he obeyed. But what happens when Rin runs away because she thinks Kakashi's protectiveness is only for Obito's sake? And what happens when they meet, seven years later, both successful and skilled jounins and teachers of two teams, both called Team 7? KakaRin Minor SasuSaku  
Genre: Romance

Don't Forget Me - During their last year in high school, we meet funny, kind and always late for class Haruno Sakura with her four friends, Naruto, Tenten, Neji and Ino. Then a new student arrives, ice prince Uchiha Sasuke, who Sakura's friend Ino immediately claims to be 'hers', and warns them not to try to 'steal' Sasuke. Then, to everybody's horror and surprise, something throws (well, roughly expressed) Sasuke and Sakura together, and just as suddenly as they're announced to be a couple, just as suddenly they're torn apart.. and once again thrown back together, in a cruel game of Hide-and-Seek, guessing and tag. Based on the Korean TV series, Dong Ji Lian Qu (I don't know its original title, tho, only the Chinese translation), which can be translated into something like 'Winter's Romance Tale' or 'Winter's Romantic Tragedy' or something similar (I suck at Chinese). NaruSakuSasuIno Slight NejiTen  
Genre: Romance/Drama

Forbidden Memories - In order to free Sasuke from his curse, Sakura finds Orochimaru's henchmen who possess the power to granta wish for a high price... your memories that you must regain in order to make the wish come true, but you have a time limit... thus, Sakura becomes Orochimaru's test for Sasuke (who is forced to take care of her) to prove his loyalty and the fact that he has broken all bonds. But will Sasuke be able to pass the test? SasuSaku  
Genre: Romance (mostly, it's slightly angsty here and there but it's mainly romance)

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(A/N: If you find errors such as words pasted together likethis, sentences that are in bold or italics when they shouldn't be or sentences that are repeated even though they're not supposed to, please tell me. This happens a lot out of some unknown reason, and it isn't because it was like that from the beginning - no, when I edit the chapters after uploading them, they get like that. I don't know why, maybe it's my dad's computer being weird. And also, do the symbols ' and ... look weird? Because on dad's computer, it does.)**


	8. Concern

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Naruto. But I'd like to own a Sasuke-kun plush, though T.T So that I could huuug him when he's oh-so-SasuSaku in the anime/manga and beat him up when he's being evil. -smirks wickedly-

**Inner Tsukiko: **o.O;

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---

♥ Chapter VIII: Concern ♥  
---

Sasuke opened his locker, looking for his books, when he realized something was wrong today.

He tried to recollect in his mind what was wrong.

He had woken up, eaten breakfast, been driven to school in his brand-new limousine (his old had gotten some bird shit on it, so his butler had insisted on getting a new one instead), he had met his friends and now he was going to get his books.

Something was missing.

What?

He looked around in the corridors. Yeah, all the fangirls were drooling over him. And there was Sakura with Tenten, Hinata and that goddamned Hikari…

… right?

He looked again.

No, just Tenten, Hinata and Hikari.

Hikari went towards him. "Ne, Sasuke-kun…", she blushed. "I've a gift for you…"

Sasuke moaned. Ever since she had heard from Tenten and Hinata that 'Sasuke's only friend who was a girl except Cindy had given him a gift', she had tried to give him gifts everyday. Lame gifts, I can tell you, because Sasuke didn't like them at all.

"Where the hell is Sakura?" he abruptly interrupted her normal speech, and gazed coldly down at her with his obsidian eyes.

"Sakura?" All Hikari's embarrassment was blown away. "She's ill. High fever."

_Fever? _Sasuke thought for himself, and hid some worry.

"Hn. Is she doing fine?"

"How should I know?" Hikari asked irritably, then making her voice smooth and seducing: "But I could show you to her house…"

"No thanks, I know the way", he snapped. "Aren't you her friend anyway? You should know."

"Sakura is ill as hell, she could barely speak this morning when I phoned her and asked where the hell she was since we planned to meet at the metro station", Tenten informed him. "I hope she's getting better soon."

Then Sasuke remembered how wet she had been back there at Versailles yesterday. No wonder she was ill, she had been soaking wet, and besides, they had slept without a blanket. He concentrated himself. _Don't blush. Don't blush. Why the hell do I want to blush anyway? I'm not a pervert like Kakashi and think anything weird about the word 'slept'… _

Then the image of Sakura leaning towards his chest and him playing with her hair came to his mind again. Thankfully, Neji interrupted his daydreams.

"Yo, Uchiha, comin' any time soon?" he heard him call.

"Yeah, yeah. I'm on my way!" He slammed his locker shut after taking his books, and walked away without another word to the girls.

"Did you see how mad he got when he got to know about Haruno's illness?" somebody whispered as his back retreated.

"Yeah! And he looked kind of in a daze…"

"I've heard that something happened at Versailles."

"Oh my god! You mean they're an official couple?"

"Not yet, but maybe they will become one…"

Tenten glanced at Kari's face as the whispers spread from one to the other. She didn't look all too pleased…

---

Sakura coughed.

And coughed.

And coughed.

"DAMMIT!" she swore loudly before breaking into several coughs.

"Stop talking, Sakura", aunt Cecilia said in irritation as she brought a tray of water in a bowl and another towel. She put the towel in the water and then squeezed it, putting the wet towel on Sakura's forehead which pretty much resembled a fire. "Do you want to see another movie?" She glanced at the TV screen in Cindy's room which was showing the end of _Perfect Blonde 2_.

Sakura nodded glumly as aunt Cecilia handed her a cup of water which Sakura eagerly gulped down. A day had passed quick, and even though it felt as though Sakura was being tortured, she did pretty fine anyway.

"And by the way, Sasuke is at the door", Cecilia added as she proceeded out of the room and Sakura tried to drink more of another glass of water on the beside table. Sakura almost spat out the water.

"WHAT!" she bellowed.

"SAKURA! BE QUIET!" Cecilia yelled. "DON'T TALK TOO MUCH!"

As Sakura calmed down, Cecilia calmly continued: "He's coming in soon."

Sakura groaned. "Tell him that I'm seriously sick and that he'll get sick too if he comes in here."

"I've done so already", Cecilia smirked. "But he just wants to come in and see you. Can't hurt for a couple of minutes, would it?"

"Okay, then", she croaked before drinking more of the water. She heard her aunt talk with someone (apparently Sasuke) in the hall before the door to the room was opened and Sasuke stepped in.

"Sakura?" he asked, looking at her pitiful state.

"Don't get too close", she coughed. "You might catch a cold, too." She smiled weakly at him.

"Hey, you look dead", he sneered at her. "Look a bit alive and happy, like you always do otherwise."

"But I feel dead", she protested. "And –"

"Hush. Don't get too fired up now", he smirked as he put a hand gently to her mouth **(A/N: since when did he walk so fast towards her bed? o.O)**. Sakura's cheeks turned bright red. "Your throat might get worse."

Then he slowly withdrew his hand. "So, how're you then?"

"Not good", she croaked and drank more water.

"I can see that", he grinned.

"Then why ask?"

"Bored."

"Nani? You've come here because you're bored?"

"Yup."

"Eeeh! Get out of here already, Sasuke-kun, I'll infect you if you don't!"

"Just kidding." He chuckled. "I came here for a reason."

She then noticed his shoes. "Sasuke-kun, you aren't taking off your shoes?"

Sasuke shrugged. "I'm used to not doing that, sorry. Why bother?"

"Ah... this is my cousin Cindy's room, I don't know if she'll like it getting dirty."

Sasuke immediately stiffened at that. Sakura looked anxiously at him. "Sasuke-kun? Are you not feeling well?"

"No, I'm doing fine", he replied shortly. "I came here to fetch the physics essay we were writing before we went to Versailles, you've gotten it, so I wanted to get it so me and Naruto can finish it."

"Oh. It's in my backpack, over there", Sakura responded, trying to hide her disappointment.

"Arigatou. Ja", he just said as he took the essay and closed the door to her bedroom again.

_Why am I so concerned? _she asked herself in her mind. _Why? Why do I care? Why do I want him to come here to see how sick I was? Why? _

---

_Dammit, I came there to see her, and I ended up saying I was just going there to get the physics essay. Dammit, dammit, dammit_, Sasuke swore as he went back to the limousine and muttered 'home'. _Why do I care anyway?_

**Because you like her**, inner Sasuke said in a bored voice.

_Who the heck are you?_

**Your inner self. Don't you know that?**

What the hell?

**I've been here since your birth. I just didn't want to show up until now**, inner Sasuke yawned. **_You've a very boring life. Now when it has started to get interesting, I wanted to show up._**

_What interesting? What the heck do you mean?_

**I mean**, inner Sasuke smirked, **_that you're developing some feelings for that girl._**

_Whaat!_

**You deny it. You're afraid of being heartbroken again, ne?**

No! I just think of her as a… fellow classmate. Maybe a friend.

**But you're afraid that you'll get dumped again and that she'll pretend like Cindy did, ne? I can understand why, my Outer Self. If it would've been me, I would've done the same too. Maybe you should just wait to see what happens? But make sure you know what she feels before you show some affection too…**

Affection? What the hell?

**Just kidding. I meant friendship-like affection.**

That made more sense. Maybe you're sensible after all.

**Duh. I'm you, stupid.**

You do realize that if you call me stupid, you mean that you're stupid too, right?

**Oops. You heard my thoughts? But anyway, you're concerned about her, right?**

… A little. Because she's concerned about me.

**Weird logic. For years, fangirls have been all over you, and it's not like you were ever all over them.**

That's true, but then again, those annoying fangirls were never normal.

**Hmm. That sounds sensible. **

****

_Duh, what do you think? I'm the Super Genius Sasuke Uchiha._

**So am I! Miss her, don't cha?**

Eh?

**I said you miss her, don't you, Super Genius Sasuke Uchiha?**

Miss her? No.

**Don't lie to your Inner Self!**

I don't.

**Yes, you do. I can see your perverted thoughts about when you pulled her to your chest that night at ** **_Versailles_****_._**

_What the…! I'm not perverted! I was just thinking of what a good chance it was to…_

**… kiss her?**

NO!

**Hahahaha, you're funny, pal. I was just kidding.**

… Sometimes you're just as damn annoying as the dobe.

**Thanks.**

Hn. I meant it was such a good chance to… AH, WHAT THE HELL, I DON'T KNOW! I JUST THOUGHT SHE WAS CUTE!

**Miss her cuteness? Be honest this time…**

"Sasuke-sama? We're here", the driver said.

"Hn", Sasuke muttered as he scrambled out of the car. _Well, maybe I do miss that…_, he admitted to himself. _And what the hell, I was talking to a weird voice in my head. I **knew **I shouldn't have let Naruto treat me some of that damned ramen of his…__

* * *

_

**Tsukiko: **I might be a bit busy tomorrow, so I decided to publish this early (it's July 30th soon anyway, just a few minutes in you're in this timezone or maybe half a day if you're in another, but whatever) :) I hope you liked it... I hope it wasn't too short.  
**Inner Tsukiko: **More SasuSaku! More SasuSaku!... And the other couples too.  
**Tsukiko: **Yeah, there's more SasuSaku coming soon, and major NejiTen on the way :D I'm currently working on the bonus chapter (also known as the twenty-fifth chapter... sorryguys). The next chapter will be published August 2nd. Ja ne!

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**Reviews Corner**

silver-jasmine: Thanks for voting and reviewing:D Hmm... maybe he was. I knew I missed some important detail... xP But I guess he wasn't, since he seemed pretty calm when he came back, ne?

MistressBlossom: Thanks, I will :D

silverkage-chan: Yeah, yay for SasuSaku moments! Gee, I'm so desperate for SasuSaku moments in the anime that I keep pausing three zillion times each episode Sasuke and Sakura interacts to look for the slightest clue. Hmm, I'm in the off-topic-mood today, it seems. But maybe it's just because I get so damn distracted by the damn cars that are so noisy not too far away from where I live. What the hell is happening? Oops, off-topic again.

Crazy Gal42: Thanks :D I don't like Cindy that much either... x.x

frienz4ever: Thanks, I will :)

kawaii chibi sasuke luver: Thanks? XD But yay for Hinata-like Sakura!

yankeesfan726: Thanks :D

Zuan: Thanks :D And you're welcome :)

Green Animelover: Thanks :D And also, thank you very much, but don't worry, I wouldn't think you're ignoring me anyway, because sometimes people get busy irl, ne:D But thanks so much for telling me anyway! Arigatou! n.n

it'sher: Well... Cindy is a common name, ne? XD Maybe she knows someone who's called Cindy... xD

HeartAngel: Thanks, I will:D

Akina Darkheart: Thanks! n.n

**And guys, I think I forgot to say it in the previous chapters, but... I LOVE YOU ALL FOR YOUR REVIEWS:D So keep on reviewing, pleaaase? -showers you all with love-**

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**_Sneak Preview of Next Chapter: Savior... again!_**

_"Why… have you brought me… here?" Then suddenly realizing the situation, she tried to struggle out of Sasuke's grip. "Ne, Sasuke-kun! Kari-chan will not like it if she sees –"_

"I don't care", Sasuke breathed in her face as he leaned close, "What she cares about or not."_

* * *

_

**Fanfictions Coming Up!**

Hi guys:D I'm glad that you like This Is (Not) My First Time so much, and I'm grateful for all the reviews I've gotten :) Anyway, to the topic... I want to ask you guys of a favor; can you please vote on which fanfic you want to see written next? I've a couple of ideas, but I don't know which one I should begin with...

Replacement - Obito asked Kakashi to take care of Rin in his place, and to grant his best friend's death wish, he obeyed. But what happens when Rin runs away because she thinks Kakashi's protectiveness is only for Obito's sake? And what happens when they meet, seven years later, both successful and skilled jounins and teachers of two teams, both called Team 7? KakaRin Minor SasuSaku  
Genre: Romance

Don't Forget Me - During their last year in high school, we meet funny, kind and always late for class Haruno Sakura with her four friends, Naruto, Tenten, Neji and Ino. Then a new student arrives, ice prince Uchiha Sasuke, who Sakura's friend Ino immediately claims to be 'hers', and warns them not to try to 'steal' Sasuke. Then, to everybody's horror and surprise, something throws (well, roughly expressed) Sasuke and Sakura together, and just as suddenly as they're announced to be a couple, just as suddenly they're torn apart.. and once again thrown back together, in a cruel game of Hide-and-Seek, guessing and tag. Based on the Korean TV series, Dong Ji Lian Qu (I don't know its original title, tho, only the Chinese translation), which can be translated into something like 'Winter's Romance Tale' or 'Winter's Romantic Tragedy' or something similar (I suck at Chinese). NaruSakuSasuIno Slight NejiTen  
Genre: Romance/Drama

Forbidden Memories - In order to free Sasuke from his curse, Sakura finds Orochimaru's henchmen who possess the power to granta wish for a high price... your memories that you must regain in order to make the wish come true, but you have a time limit... thus, Sakura becomes Orochimaru's test for Sasuke (who is forced to take care of her) to prove his loyalty and the fact that he has broken all bonds. But will Sasuke be able to pass the test? SasuSaku  
Genre: Romance (mostly, it's slightly angsty here and there but it's mainly romance)

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**(A/N: If you find errors such as words pasted together likethis, sentences that are in bold or italics when they shouldn't be or sentences that are repeated even though they're not supposed to, please tell me. This happens a lot out of some unknown reason, and it isn't because it was like that from the beginning - no, when I edit the chapters after uploading them, they get like that. I don't know why, maybe it's my dad's computer being weird. And also, do the symbols ' and ... look weird? Because on dad's computer, it does.)**


	9. Savior again!

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. 

**Tsukiko: **Hi, guys! I'm almost finished with this fic (I've 25 chapters done so far, and there're approx. 27-28), so I want to know... what do you want to see next? Please vote! The fics that I'm ready to start writing are listed at the bottom of this chapter.

* * *

---

♥ Chapter IX: Savior... again! ♥  
---

"Back on track, ne, Sakura-chan?" Naruto winked teasingly as he elbowed her.

"Yup, you can bet", Sakura grinned back widely. "I actually managed to get well in just two days!"

"Maybe it was because Sasuke-_kun_ visited you", Tenten whispered with a teasing wink in er ear, making Sakura's cheeks turn pink.

"TENTEN! STOP THAT!" she bellowed, making everyone stare at her.

"Stop what? Ooooh, she's embarrassed", Tenten laughed. "Calm it, Sakura, I was just kidding."

Sakura was fuming when she bumped into someone, muttered 'gomen' and heard a familiar voice say: "Why, isn't it my beautiful cherry blossom?"

Sakura quickly drew away, apologizing, and hoped she'd get to her locker unnoticed, but -

"Sakura-chan... I love you", James with a deep, romantic voice, taking up Sakura's hand and kissing it which sent a wave of nausea through Sakura's body. "Become my girl."

"Leave her alone, baka. She hates you", Sasuke commented coldly as he took his books out of his locker next to Sakura's. Sakura gave him a grateful look, but Sasuke pretended not to see it. Instead, he glared at James.

"Someone is jealous, eh?" James sneered. "Just because _my _Sakura-chan likes me better than she likes you."

A vein popped on the back of Sasuke's head. "I'M NOT JEALOUS, DAMMIT!" he yelled.

_He's jealous_, Tenten thought with a sweatdrop.

_He's jealous_, Hinata thought with a shy smile.

_He's jealous_, Naruto thought with a smirk.

_He's jealous_, Neji thought with a sneer.

_Did I make Sasuke-kun mad? _Sakura thought sadly, not getting it at all.

"And besides, she hates you", Sasuke snarled, giving him an icy glare (or rather, a fiery one XD).

"She doesn't. You don't, do you, Sakura?" James said, looking seductively into the poor pink-haired girl's eyes.

"Um... I've got to go", Sakura said nervously, and dashed off as she dragged her friends away.

"Look? She's afraid of you, Uchiha. You scare her", James taunted him. Sasuke clenched his fist angrily as James walking away, laughing maniacally. _One day, I'll beat him into a bloody pulp…_

_---_

The day passed normally, until lunch break. As usual, Sakura's friends would sit with Sasuke's friends. Somehow, ever since Sakura came, they had done that. Just as they were discussing whether or not _The Da Vinci Code_ was a boring movie, James showed up.

"My cherry blossom", he said with a deep voice. "I love you. Become my girl – I'll show you what I mean, if you just let me date you once."

"Um... sorry, James, I'm in a hurry!" Sakura quickly excused herself, trying to lift her tray to go, but –

"Don't escape. Don't be afraid of what that Uchiha will think, you're not his property", he murmured as James leaned close to Sakura's face, making her go bright red. He leaned closer, and closer, until –

WHACK.

"WHAT THE HELL, BAKA, WHAT DO YOU MEAN 'WHAT THAT UCHIHA WILL THINK'!" Sasuke stood behind James with Tenten's abnormally thick notebook, looking like he was ready to kill. Which he practically was.

"You get jealous", James sneered. "But she's actually _mine_."

"Like she's your property anyway! She's herself!"

"Ah... someone is getting jealous, ne?" James laughed evilly.

"Um, James... I actually agree with Sasuke-kun. I'm not anyone's property", Sakura smiled nervously, making Sasuke smirk out of triumph, his face expression clearly telling James 'what-did-I-tell-you-bastard'.

"But you shall become mine, you'll understand if you just date me! Please, my darling cherry blossom!" James pleaded as he leaned in again – and this time got a real punch on his head.

"Don't try any weird stuff with her, can't you see she doesn't like you?" Sasuke hissed, looking ultimately PISSED OFF with capitals now.

James shot him a death glare, but knowing Sasuke was the stronger, he smiled at Sakura and said: "We'll talk some other time when _he _is not around, shall we?" And he left.

"What the hell... what a teme...", Sasuke muttered as he sat down in his seat again.

Sakura was amazed at what had just happened – just like everyone else. Then she beamed. "Arigatou, Sasuke-kun! That was so nice of you!"

Sasuke's cheeks turned slightly red. "Yeah, yeah... whatever..."

Everyone exchanged evil grins, except Kari, who seemed not **_particularly _**pleased...

---

That afternoon, they had PE as their last class, and Sakura had gotten a new outfit from her aunt as celebration for her quick recovery – a slightly tight (there was only one size left, and it was a bit smaller than Sakura's normal one) but pretty pastel-pink t-shirt and a pair of very short white shorts, and as she stepped out from the girls' dressing room, a couple of guys whistled. They were supposed to play tennis in teams of three and three, thus Sakura and her friends joined up with the guys (Kari had disappeared, weirdly enough).

"Nice clothing, Sakura", Neji commented with a grin.

"Yeah, nice clothing", Naruto agreed, also grinning.

Sakura beamed at them, and glanced from her eye's corner to see Sasuke's reaction, but apparently he just wore a blank expression as usual, to her disappointment.

_Why do I care, anyway? _she asked herself in her mind in frustration as they began to play.

---

"Ah, Tenten, Hinata?" Sakura grinned at them, as she stood before them in a short denim skirt and a white t-shirt. "I've some more stuff to do, can you go without me?"

Tenten looked up in surprise. "Okay, sure. See ya tomorrow!"

"Ja ne!" Tenten and Hinata shouted in unison as they disappeared.

Sakura went to the school's building and went to the school roof, where she had first met Kari. She took a deep breath, flopped down on the floor, and began to write another letter to her mother.

_Kaa-san,  
I'm having lots of fun here at Sakura Mankai High. I could never have been happier! I've lots of friends, like Tenten (she's a funny girl who loves teasing people), Hinata (a shy girl who's really kind), Naruto (a wild guy who loves playing pranks on people), Neji (Tenten's childhood friend and Hinata's cousin – he's pretty nice) and also, Sasuke-kun (one of the nicest guys I've ever met! And he's really handsome and cool, but don't tell aunt Cecilia that, okay? She'd probably tease me)!  
I love Paris! But please respond my letters soon, kaa-san, you haven't replied to my previous letter yet! Is it because I'm writing too few letters? I'm sorry, kaa-san, so much things have happened, so it's just that I've forgotten… like, we went to Versailles to spend the night! It was really exciting..._

Sakura continued writing a very long letter, when she suddenly saw a shadow dodge her vision. She looked up into two deep blue eyes. Naruto?

"Sakura-chan, my cherry blossom", the voice said seductively.

Nope. James.

"Um, James, I..."

Sakura arose to get away, but this time James pinned her to the fence with his face an inch away from hers.

"Don't. Escape. This. Time", he breathed before trying to kiss her.

Sakura dodged as much as she could, and tried to struggle free, without much success. His grip was hard. At last, his other hand got hold of her chin and he held her tight, pulling her into a violent kiss, almost sucking the breath out of her.

Tears began to stream down her cheeks because of the pain he caused her by kissing her like that, and because she didn't want to do this, and she felt his hands creep up her legs to lift her skirt, when -

WHAM.

Sakura panted for breath when James suddenly was sent flying towards the other end of the roof. She was sobbing as she looked up at her savior.

"S-S-Sasuke-kun", she stuttered through the tears, stunned to see him here.

Sasuke opened his mouth to say something, when James let out of a roar of rage and charged at him.

"No, Sasuke-kun!" Sakura gasped. "Get out of here, quick!"

But Sasuke didn't mind her. Instead, he dodged James' punch and instead delivered another nice kick in James' stomach, sending him flying again (but last time, he had kicked him from the side and not from the front).

"You little...!" James roared as he charged at Sasuke again.

"You never learn, do you?" Sasuke hissed angrily as he, after dodging James' punch and swiftly appearing behind James' back, kicking on him from behind so he fell with his face to the ground, and put his foot on the back, increasing the weight he put on his foot the more for every word he uttered. "You're an annoying idiot. You're not only an idiot, you're a freakin' psycho."

James let out a cry of pain as Sasuke's foot pinned him harder and harder to the ground. One of his back's bones had already been broken, so Sasuke picked him up from the ground and held him by the collar, punching him hard in the face, then throwing him down on the ground again and stepping on his stomach.

"Die, bastard", Sasuke growled as he aimed another punch, this time at James' throat, as he picked him up by the collar again, when he heard Sakura sob:

"Please!... Sasuke-kun... no... more..."

He looked at her, and seeing her tears, he snorted at the almost unconscious James and said: "You're lucky, bastard." Then he threw James back to the ground, and went to the crying Sakura, who was sobbing hard.

"A... Ari... gatou... Sasuke-kun...", she sobbed.

Sasuke tilted his head a little, before bending down and picking her up, bridal-style. Sakura looked up at him in surprise, while he just smirked back, carrying her down from the school-roof with her things to his car.

"Home", he said to the driver, and put Sakura safely on the seat.

---

"Where... where are we?" Sakura asked as Sasuke carried her out of the car and into a huge mansion.

"My place", he simply replied. Sakura then realized (late discovery XD) that he was still carrying her.

"Um, Sasuke-kun", she blushed. "You can put me down now, I'm a bit heavy."

"Nope. I like carrying you around", he smirked back.

"Why... have you brought me... here?" Then suddenly realizing the situation, she tried to struggle out of Sasuke's grip. "Ne, Sasuke-kun! Kari-chan will not like it if she sees –"

"I don't care", Sasuke breathed in her face as he leaned close, "What she cares about or not."

Then he put her down on a couch in a room, leaving the totally stunned Sakura there, before relaxing himself in an armchair opposite the couch. Suddenly, a maid arrived.

"Sasuke-sama, what would you like to eat?"

"Whatever. Just bring in the usual stuff", Sasuke yawned. "Hey, Sakura."

"U-u-u-uh y-y-yes?" she stuttered, her eyes two twirls. **(A/N: I don't know how to explain it, you know, the way Naruto's eyes are sometimes after Sakura has hit him in the anime and stuff.)**

"You don't happen to..."

"...e-e-eh?"

"... have your copy of the maths project with you? I forgot mine in my locker."

"Oh." Sakura's face became a deep shade of magenta. "Um... yes, I do. It's in my... bag. By the way, where's my bag?"

"I handed it to one of my servants." Sasuke reached for his mobile phone in his pocket, and dialed a number before saying: "Oy, Henry, come up with the bag. Don't touch the stuff inside."

Then he ended the conversation again. Sakura just stared.

"Hey, isn't that a waste of money?" she asked in disbelief.

"Whatever." Sasuke shrugged. "I already have 1000 euro on my mobile phone, so why bother?"

"U-u-um, I just thought that it'd be a waste of money for you to go and just ask for my bag. I could've asked for it myself", she blushed.

"Oh, really?" Sasuke raised an eyebrow. "You didn't even know where the bag was, and you wouldn't have found Henry. This mansion is huge, I tell you. Maybe it's not Versailles, but it's still large enough to get lost in."

Sakura fell in silence, ashamed of herself. Sasuke, noticing her change of mood, decided to ask: "What the hell were you doing with that moron, anyway?"

"E-e-eh?"

"I asked you what you were doing with that moron?"

"W-who?"

"Who do you think?" Sasuke sighed. "That goddamned bastard James, of course. Who else?"

"Oh… g-g-g-gomen", Sakura apologized. "I-I-I was just s-s-sitting on t-the r-r-roof w-w-when…" Tears started to trickle down her face again, as she broke off. Sasuke, seeing her tears, went towards her, bent down to her eye-level, and wiped them away.

"Don't cry, OK?" he smiled – yes, smiled, not smirked! "I hate it when you cry. Did I make you cry?"

"N-n-no!" Sakura stammered. "I-I-I'm really g-gr-grateful that you r-r-rescued me… a-a-arigatou, Sasuke-kun."

More tears rolled down, and Sasuke wiped them away too. "Stop crying, ne? If it's my fault, I won't be able to forgi-"

"Sasuke-sama!" a voice interrupted them as someone knocked on the door. "I've come with the bag!"

"Aa." Sasuke moved away from Sakura, arose again, and went to the door, opening it. "Arigatou, Henry." He took the bag, closed the door again, and went back to his armchair. "Ne, you have a lot of stuff in this…"

"Yeah", Sakura smiled weakly. "I'm like that. Everyone always says my bag weighs a ton, at least it was lighter today…"

"Loads of books", Sasuke muttered. "Do you read all of them?"

"Yeah…" Sakura smiled for herself, and Sasuke looked up at her dreamy tone. "My mother loves to read books. My father too. Kaa-san and tou-san always read books together, back when… they were still together." Her smile became sad. "Then tou-san moved to the States with onee-chan… I didn't want to admit it. I wanted my family to stay together, so I lied to everyone about how tou-san traveled everywhere and that was why he was never at home, but when he came back home he was a really good tou-san, and onee-chan had left to study in the States. That was how my lie went. But I knew I couldn't lie to myself. Especially when kaa-san began meeting _him_…"

Sakura bit her lip. Sasuke looked at her with a blank stare. So she knows about loneliness too…

"You must be happy", she smiled towards Sasuke. "You've a whole family. Your brother, your parents. You've money, you've friends, you're popular and –" She blushed. "- you're handsome."

Sasuke felt something stir in his icy heart.

"Not to mention you're good at sports."

More stirring in the ice.

"And… yeah. You're cool." She tilted her head to one side and wore a bright smile on her face. "Sasuke-kun, you're really kind too. You're… perfect. Almost. Just that nobody can be entirely perfect, ne? Though… to me…" Sakura's smile became warm. "… you are. Maybe you're an exception…"

Sasuke didn't realize her eyelids had closed and she was sleeping before he awoke from his trance after hearing those words. He stood up from his chair, and carried her to the bed, before looking around in her bag for the maths project and at last finding it. Then he walked to her sleeping figure, bent down beside it, and whispered:

"Sakura… you don't know how perfect _you _are…"

---

"Mm…?"

Sakura's eyelids slowly opened when he noticed someone sat on her bed. Aunt Cecilia? No, the person had spiky black hair and onyx eyes…

"Sasuke-kun!" she exclaimed as she sat up in her bed. "But…"

She fell in silence again, remembering everything that had happened. The rescue, the carrying, and then she had fallen asleep. But she wasn't on the couch – he must've carried her to the bed just a meter away.

"Awake now?" he smirked.

"Yeah… how long have I been sleeping?" she asked.

"Four hours, almost." He gestured to the dark window. "It's 7:00 PM now."

" 7:00 PM! Oh my god, I promised aunt Cecilia I'd be back at 4:00 PM…", she said, trying to get out of the bed, but Sasuke stopped her, holding down her wrist.

"Calm it. I told Cecilia that you'd be staying here for the night, since I didn't know when you'd awake", he said, her emerald orbs drowning in his pitch black ones…

… until, suddenly, a mobile phone began ringing.

"Wait a sec", Sasuke said, pulling up his mobile phone and answering it. "Hello?"

Even Sakura could hear Tenten's voice yell: "WHAT THE HELL UCHIHA HAVE YOU DONE TO SAKURA I HEARD FROM HER AUNT THAT SHE IS STAYING AT YOUR PLACE DON'T EVEN TRY TO DO SOMETHING TO HER GET IT!"

"Ow, that hurt as hell, Tenten", Sasuke commented, rubbing the ear he was holding the mobile phone to. "I'm not gonna 'do' anything with her, James the pervert tried to 'do' something with her and I jumped in and saved the day – you should actually be thanking me! – and then I took her home to my place and then she has been sleeping until now."

"Oh", Tenten's astounded voice said. "But, eh, Sasuke? Is she awake now, then?"

"Yeah." Sasuke handed the mobile phone to Sakura. "Talk."

Sakura gave him a grateful nod, before answering. "Hello?"

"SAKURA! OH MY GOD IT'S YOU! I ALMOST THOUGHT YOUR AUNT WAS KIDDING OR SOMETHING WHEN SHE SAID YOU WERE AT SASUKE'S PLACE! I MEAN, HE NEVER LETS ANY GIRL IN THERE!"

Sakura's cheeks flushed. "Tenten, no need to overdo it all. He just… invited me to his place, it's not such a big deal." She decided to leave out the 'carrying' part, knowing that Tenten would tease her for the rest of her life if she admitted that Sasuke had been carrying her home. As she glanced at Sasuke, Sasuke raised his eyebrow, which made her blush even more and turn away.

"Yeeeaaaah right", Tenten said sarcastically.

"Just don't tell the others, OK? Especially not Kari-chan!"

"Why not?"

"You know how she'd react."

"Hmm… but you're fine, then? The Uchiha pervert didn't do anything to you?"

"HEY! I'M NO PERVERT!" Sasuke burst out beside Sakura, making her giggle.

"No, he didn't. Right, Sasuke-kun?"

"DUH! I'M NO PERVERT LIKE THAT JAMES BASTARD, DAMMIT!"

"There you go", Sakura giggled in the mobile phone.

"Good", Tenten replied, satisfied. "But you owe me one."

"Nani?"

"If you want me to keep quiet about this little… thing", Tenten said evilly in the phone, "you must do something for me."

"And that something is what?" Sakura asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Hmm… let me think. You're at Sasuke's place, ne? You must… steal his breakfast."

"EH? What a weird demand, Tenten…"

"Just kidding. You must… hmm… wake him up with a bucket of ice-cold water."

"Forget it."

"WHAT! YOU OWE ME ONE, SAKURA!"

"Can't I do something normal instead?"

"Okay, then." Tenten sighed. "Help me play a prank on Neji. Convince Sasuke to do it, too."

"That sounds fun…", Sasuke replied with an evil sparkle in his eye beside her. Sakura sweatdropped at this.

"Um, OK. What kind of prank?"

"We must all pretend that we're mad with him because we saw him with a…" Tenten thought for a while. "No, wait. You know Freya, right? Vice president of Sasuke's fanclub?"

"Uh-huh. She's with Ino all the time."

"OK, I'll phone her later and tell her that she must pretend she went on a date with Neji and they kissed, and we're all shocked because he has told us she's the…" Tenten lowered her voice. "… ugliest girl in the world, similar to a witch."

"Eh, fine by me, but why?"

"Because he'd hate do to that." Tenten giggled. "C'mon, it won't hurt, right?"

"It's a good plan. How come I've never thought of it before?" Sasuke asked.

"Because you're stupid", Tenten replied matter-of-factly.

"HEY!"

"Um… calm it, guys", Sakura sweatdropped.

"OK, I'm off now, gotta tell Freya about this." Tenten giggled some more. "See ya tomorrow then. Ja!"

Sakura handed the mobile phone back to Sasuke as she ended the conversation, when Sasuke asked: "Yo, Sakura."

"Eh?"

"Don't you have a mobile?"

"Um… no."

"Why?"

"Just because."

"Can't afford one?"

"Ah? No! It's just that… kaa-san won't let me use one." Sakura lowered her head. "Since the thing with Don, because I broke my mobile back then out of anger, because he and Alisa kept phoning me all the time. Since then I've not had one."

"But you're not with Don anymore."

"Yeah…" She smiled sadly. "But still, it gives me memories. It… hurts."

He nodded slowly. "Hey, you hungry?" he asked.

"Uh… no…" Just then, Sakura's stomach groaned loudly. "Or maybe, yes." She smiled sheepishly as Sasuke raised an eyebrow in amusement.

"C'mon, then", he said, grabbing her hand and dragging her out of the room.

---

"Ah, Sasuke-kun?"

Sasuke looked up from his bowl of ramen, the dish Sakura had wanted to eat. "Hn?"

"Why did you go up to the school roof?"

_Reminiscing, missing_ _Cindy_, he thought, but was unsure what to answer. "I just… wanted to take a walk", he lied.

Sakura furrowed her eyebrows. "Sasuke-kun, you're lying. I can see it in your face."

"I'm not", he lied again.

"You are."

"Not."

"Are."

"Not."

"Are."

"Not."

Sakura giggled. "Sasuke-kun, you're stubborn!"

Sasuke shrugged. "So are you."

"Arigatou?"

"Hn."

Sakura smiled as she returned to eating her ramen, before asking again: "Ne, Sasuke-kun, you looked in my bag, right?"

"Hn."

"Did you find any book you wanted to read?"

"No. I don't read that much", he replied. Not since Cindy stole my will to do it.

"Aha. I see." She looked disappointed. "Did you find anything else that was interesting, then?"

"No. Why wonder?"

"Ne… I just thought I could give it to you as thanks then, because, well…" She blushed. "You've rescued me twice."

"No need to bother. I don't like gifts that much anyway." Then he came to think of his childhood memory. "Except…"

"Except?" she repeated hopefully.

"Tomatoes", he responded, before starting to eat ramen again.

"Tomatoes? I never thought you liked that, Sasuke-kun! I do that, too!" she laughed. He hid a smile. Her laugh is so beautiful…

He held back a sigh; he had lied again. He had found something interesting, but it wasn't anything he wanted to... _keep_...

**_Flashback. _**

_As Sasuke looked at Sakura's sleeping figure, he went to her bag and left the maths project when he saw a piece of paper ripped off from her notebook. Curious, he picked it up and began to read._

_**Kaa-san,**_

_I'm having lots of fun here at Sakura Mankai High. I could never have been happier! I've lots of friends, like Tenten (she's a funny girl who loves teasing people), Hinata-chan (a shy girl who's really kind), Naruto (a wild guy who loves playing pranks on people), Neji (Tenten's childhood friend and Hinata's cousin – he's pretty nice), Kari-chan (a really sweet girl who has a crush on Sasuke-kun) and also, Sasuke-kun (one of the nicest guys I've ever met! And he's really handsome and cool, but don't tell aunt Cecilia that, okay? She'd probably tease me)!  
I love Paris! But please respond my letters soon, kaa-san, you haven't replied to my previous letter yet! Is it because I'm writing too few letters? I'm sorry, kaa-san, so much things have happened, so it's just that I've forgotten… like, we went to Versailles to spend the night! It was really exciting! But we had to spend the night with someone of opposite gender (don't worry, nothing happened)._

_I was a bit nervous at first, because I didn't know how it'd be with Sasuke-kun. Lately, I had been acting weird around him without knowing why, so I felt kind of nervous about doing it again. Besides, it thundered that night. So he told me I could climb up on the bed if I was afraid! He's so kind. I've never met a kinder guy in my entire life._

_Then we talked until I fell asleep! I never knew Sasuke-kun could talk that much. He's a really wonderful guy. Besides, he saved me once from a pervert.  
Now you might wonder how my other friends are, too. Tenten, Hinata and Kari are those I normally are with. Tenten can be a bit wild at times (even violent when it comes to Neji), but Hinata is her absolute opposite. Kari is something between. Naruto is kind of like Tenten, just lesser violent, and Neji… well, I don't know. He's not all that wild, since he doesn't like to fight with Tenten even though I know that if he would, he'd win, but he just runs away. He teases her a lot, making her hit him the more. Sasuke-kun is the only one who's not being wild at all. _

_Next time I'll add photos too. Everyone is pretty of them, but Sasuke-kun is the handsomest! Don't tease me now, but it's true – he has his own fanclub, even (they attack me a little sometimes because out of a coincidence we always end up together in events and stuff)._

_Kaa-san, I really wish you were here and could see him. I bet that if you saw him, you'd probably hug him to death as you do with all cute guys in my age you see. But Sasuke-kun is different, he's both cute to his personality and to his looks!_

_Love,  
Your Sakura-chan_

_Sasuke blinked a couple of times. Half of the letter was about him – if it had been one of his fangirls, he wouldn't have been surprised, but this was Sakura! Did Sakura really think that way about him? Was he really so perfect in her eyes?_

_"Then you don't know me", he whispered to himself. "If you had done so, you'd probably not have liked me half as much…"_

**_End Flashback._ **

"Ne, Sasuke-kun?"

"Hn."

"You're very quiet."

"Aa."

"Do you ever say anything else but 'hn' and 'aa' when you're not being asked a question?" Sakura teased, sticking out her tongue at him.

"Aa."

"Really?"

"Hn."

Sakura giggled, as she put her chopsticks down on the table again, done with her ramen as Sasuke was. "Sasuke-kun, what to do now?" she asked after another moment's silence.

He shrugged and eyed his wristwatch. It showed 8:00 PM. "You like video games?"

"I… don't know, really. Have never played any."

Sasuke's eyes widened before he grinned mischievously. Never played, eh? He was going to change that…

---

"OH MY GOD I DIED AGAIN!" Sakura slapped her forehead. "Seems like I can't stay alive for longer than ten seconds."

"You're a beginner, that's why", Sasuke explained as he himself knocked down another boss with his character.

Sakura and Sasuke was sitting in Sasuke's bedroom and was playing a game that Sasuke himself had designed (of course, he had not made the game, only told the gamemakers what he had wanted to have in the game), Dancing Petals. Of course, Sasuke hadn't made up the girly title, but the gamemakers had said that if he wanted the game at all, he'd let them choose the title themselves. **(A/N: This game does not exist in real life. I made it up XD)**

It was an RPG game, and like any other RPG you had to go and knock out opponents. Sakura, who had just begun playing, kept dying after every single opponent she fought against. While the number above Sasuke's life meter showed '213', the total amount of all opponents he had defeated, Sakura's only showed '3'.

"It's so hard!" Sakura sighed. "I can't believe you knocked out 213 fiends just like that."

"It's easy", he smirked, "Once you get the game, you can do it."

_Even though it **did **take me five months_, he thought for himself.

"We've played it for two hours now, and I still can't get the game!" Sakura protested. "This is damn frustrating!"

"Dancing Petals is supposed to be difficult", he grinned as the next world was opened before them, showing a beautiful 3D scene of cherry blossom trees in full bloom and a low bridge across a river where sakura petals were floating. "And hey, you live again."

Sakura got hold of her control pad as her figure, a pink-haired fighter wearing a casual Japanese uniform came into view. Sasuke's character looked exactly like himself, not much to Sakura's surprise, since he had explained he had 'designed' the game himself.

Suddenly, a woman with long, green hair and red eyes jumped out of the water and attempted to punch Sakura's character. Sakura tried to dodge the attack, but ended up being knocked out by another character from behind.

"I DIED AGAIN!" she yelled.

"I know", Sasuke replied, amused, as he himself defeated the two opponents with one blow of his Blue Magic Orb.

After getting through all the traps and opponents, Sasuke's character finally arrived at a huge, dark castle, and a witch wearing a black outfit suddenly appeared, laughing a hideous laugh. Sakura giggled.

"Is that what Neji meant with Freya-san being a witch?" she joked.

"Guess so", Sasuke smirked, but his smirk disappeared as the witch cloned itself and shot his character in the back with a blast of red light. GAME OVER, a dark voice declared.

"NO! I DIED TOO!" Sasuke uttered a cry as a startled eagle, and Sakura just laughed.

"I'm getting tired of this game, I think I'm going to bed", she yawned as she eyed the clock. 10:30 PM. "I got up too early today, I think I'll fall asleep soon."

"OK", Sasuke shrugged. "I'm going to bed too. Good night."

He switched off the TV and the game machine, as he proceeded out of the door.

"Good night", Sakura smiled back and found her way to the room Sasuke had carried her to at first, changed into her PE clothes, went to the bed, and fell asleep.

* * *

**Tsukiko: **Next chapter will be published August 5th. Oh no, the summer holidays are coming to an end... T.T  
**Inner Tsukiko: **Damn James-teme! I hate him! Kill kill kill...  
**Tsukiko: **That was off-topic o.O  
**James: **What the...! What wrong deeds have I committed?  
**Inner Tsukiko: **-strangles him- You bastard pervert! You... you defiled poor Sakura-chan! But... -purrs- Sasuke-kun was such a hero...  
**Sasuke: **Hn.  
**Tsukiko: **Uh, anyway... (**James in the background: **-struggles to breathe- L-l-let me g-go you m... madwoman!) I promise there'll be more NejiTen soon... and ShikaIno:D

* * *

**Reviews Corner **

silverkage-chan: Hmm... sorry to disappoint you, but I'm not quite sure Sasuke-kun has realized the love he feels within (yay for SasuSaku! Sasuke-looove... -makes a weird dance-) just yet... XD But there's more SasuSaku to come, so don't worry:) Yeah, I agree... he should realize the strong feelings he harbors deep down in the anime. e.e And the manga! Damn, I hate when he's being so... so... unemotional! ;.;

MistressBlossom: Thanks, I will :D

ohmgeeits cindee: Thanks for voting n.n

nickygirl: Thanks, I'm glad that you appreciate it so much :D

sasusaku4eva101: I'll eventually publish all those stories, but currently I've somewhat of a Writer's Block and need to focus on one XD But thanks for voting (and reviewing!):D

HeartAngel: Thanks :D

frienz4ever: Thanks:D

hushhushyou: Thanks :) Now if he only showed that sweet side in the anime/manga... x.x

amylovestakuya: Thanks :)

Zuan: Yay! Cookies, awesome! n.n Arigatou!

Claud-kun: Thanks for voting and reviewing:D You do? Aaagh, it was supposed to be a secret! XD

Crazy Gal42: Sorry, no kiss, but it might come one soon ;) Well... actually I dislike Cindy because of the way she is, I didn't dislike her from the beginning. At first, I wanted togive her an, ahem, more angelic personality, but err... I just trashed the idea and now I dislike her. But whether or not she's bitchy is up to you to decide when you see her ;P

yankeesfan726: Thanks, I will! ;D

**I love you all, guys! 80 friggin' reviews! You know, I could almost dance! I thought I'd receive much lesser reviews than that... omg, I'm so happy! n.n Luuuv ya! -showers you with love- Keep on reviewing!

* * *

**

**Sneak Preview of Next Chapter: Lies **

"DON'T MAKE ME…"

"Make you do what?" she smirked. "Take my book? Oh, what a threat, Neji!"

Then, a devilish sparkle appeared in Neji's eyes. "… kiss you…"

* * *

**Fanfictions Coming Up!**

Hi guys:D I'm glad that you like This Is (Not) My First Time so much, and I'm grateful for all the reviews I've gotten :) Anyway, to the topic... I want to ask you guys of a favor; can you please vote on which fanfic you want to see written next? I've a couple of ideas, but I don't know which one I should begin with...

Replacement - Obito asked Kakashi to take care of Rin in his place, and to grant his best friend's death wish, he obeyed. But what happens when Rin runs away because she thinks Kakashi's protectiveness is only for Obito's sake? And what happens when they meet, seven years later, both successful and skilled jounins and teachers of two teams, both called Team 7? KakaRin Minor SasuSaku  
Genre: Romance

Don't Forget Me - During their last year in high school, we meet funny, kind and always late for class Haruno Sakura with her four friends, Naruto, Tenten, Neji and Ino. Then a new student arrives, ice prince Uchiha Sasuke, who Sakura's friend Ino immediately claims to be 'hers', and warns them not to try to 'steal' Sasuke. Then, to everybody's horror and surprise, something throws (well, roughly expressed) Sasuke and Sakura together, and just as suddenly as they're announced to be a couple, just as suddenly they're torn apart.. and once again thrown back together, in a cruel game of Hide-and-Seek, guessing and tag. Based on the Korean TV series, Dong Ji Lian Qu (I don't know its original title, tho, only the Chinese translation), which can be translated into something like 'Winter's Romance Tale' or 'Winter's Romantic Tragedy' or something similar (I suck at Chinese). NaruSakuSasuIno Slight NejiTen  
Genre: Romance/Drama

Forbidden Memories - In order to free Sasuke from his curse, Sakura finds Orochimaru's henchmen who possess the power to granta wish for a high price... your memories that you must regain in order to make the wish come true, but you have a time limit... thus, Sakura becomes Orochimaru's test for Sasuke (who is forced to take care of her) to prove his loyalty and the fact that he has broken all bonds. But will Sasuke be able to pass the test? SasuSaku  
Genre: Romance (mostly, it's slightly angsty here and there but it's mainly romance)

**NEW! **Dance With Me - When tough guy and hiphopdancer Uchiha Sasuke and bittersweet ballerina Haruno Sakura were thrown into a wild dancing tournament where they were forced to cooperate, they never knew what awaited them. SasuSaku, minor NejiTen, NaruHina and ShikaIno  
Genre: Romance(maybe angsty?)

**NEW! **Princess Sakura - She's a princess who has just run away from the castle. He's a normal guy who looks like any girl's dream prince. She's cheerful and talkative. He's cold and quiet.So how the hell did things get like this? SasuSaku  
Genre: Romance (mostly, a little bit humor here and there, but..)

* * *

**(A/N: If you find errors such as words pasted together likethis, sentences that are in bold or italics when they shouldn't be or sentences that are repeated even though they're not supposed to, please tell me. This happens a lot out of some unknown reason, and it isn't because it was like that from the beginning - no, when I edit the chapters after uploading them, they get like that. I don't know why, maybe it's my dad's computer being weird. And also, do the symbols ' and ... look weird? Because on dad's computer, it does.)**


	10. Lies

**Disclaimer: **I own Naruto. I so freakin' own Naruto. **(Inner Tsukiko: **-whacks me, a.k.a. Outer Tsukiko) OW! Okay, okay... I don't... did you have to destroy my precious dream?

* * *

---

♥ Chapter X: Lies ♥  
---

Sakura rubbed the sleep out of her eyes as she brushed her teeth and hair, and then walked out of her room, when she saw Sasuke, and blushed.

_Damnit! _she swore. _Can I stop blushing! _

But she couldn't. He looked really hot standing there in his black t-shirt and white shorts and his ruffled hair (he always slept like that, wearing a t-shirt and a pair of shorts). Then she saw he was blushing too. Right? Or maybe he was just red on his cheeks because he was warm.

"S-S-S-Sasuke-kun", she stammered. _Damnit, now I start stammering too! _"Y-you h-h-have a fe-fever?"

"Eh? NO!" he exclaimed, looking terrified, before coughing: "I mean, no."

"Ah… okay…", she replied, staring down at the floor. _Sasuke-kun is acting weird… _

---

Sasuke glanced at her across the kitchen table. _Damn, she's hot! _

He hadn't dared look at her yesterday during PE – hearing his friends say she had 'nice clothing', he knew she was looking not only pretty, but downright hot, but now he couldn't take his eyes off from her. _So beautiful… _

"N-n-ne, S-Sasuke-kun? D-d-do I have something on m-my f-f-face?" she stuttered, as she noticed his glance.

"Wha? Ah, no! Um… I mean… yeah, you've something on the cheek", he responded. _Damnit! I'm getting nervous! _

"M-m-my ch-cheek?"_ She's acting weird too… _

Sakura reached up to her left cheek hesitantly, but Sasuke arose and leaned across the table. "No, the other one", he said, wiping away a bread crumb from it, when they both noticed their faces were an inch from each other, and blushed.

Sasuke quickly stared down at his breakfast instead, and chewed on his toast, trying to act normal, but he kept looking at her as much as he could. Her perfectly shaped shoulders, waist… everything…

"S-S-S-Sasuke-kun?"

He looked up again. "Aa?" he tried to say normally, but heard his voice sound weird, cursing himself for acting strange.

"Ne… w-w-which me-metro train g-g-goes from h-h-here?" she stuttered.

"Stupid", he muttered. "Of course you'll ride my car to school."

"But w-w-what if t-t-the others s-see it?"

"Eh… just say you lost your metro card. I can drive you home, too", he quickly added. "Then you can just say you found it at home."

"U-u-um, o-okay."

An embarrassed silence fell, before Sasuke blurted out: "You look nice today, by the way."

Sakura looked up in surprise, her cheeks red. "A-a-ah? O-oh, a-a-arigatou, S-Sasuke-kun. You… you look n-nice t-t-too", she flushed.

"Ah… arigatou." Sasuke felt his cheeks burn. _WHAT THE HELL, IS MY FACE ON FIRE OR SOMETHING? OR AM I HAVING A FEVER! _

**No, you're just blushing. **

_What the…! YOU AGAIN! _

**I love you too. **

_Ew, that sounded gay. _

**_Whatever. You think she's hot, ne? _**

_WHAT! I JUST THINK SHE LOOKS CUTE! _

**Don't lie. She looks hot. Her Inner Self too. **

Eh! She has an Inner Self too?

**Yup. I had a conversation with it last night when you both were asleep. Kinda funny that she had one too. Not many people have that. **

_Don't tell me. You flirted? _

**Nah. I just told her she was damn hot. **

_WHAT! _

**_Hey, you should thank me for helping you get future babies! _**

_WHAT THE… YOU ARE THE ONE BEING A PERVERT, DAMMIT!_

**_Hehe. Thanks. Do you wanna chat with her Inner Self? _**

_No thanks._

_**Okay. Whatever. **_

"Ne… Sasuke-kun?" Sasuke looked up at the shyly smiling Sakura. "You have an Inner too?"

"Eh!"

"Yeah. My Inner told me."

"Um… yeah. I have an Inner Self", he muttered, embarrassed to admit such a thing.

"That's so cool! I heard they were talking yesterday."

"Don't tell me your Inner recited what my Inner said."

"No, she didn't. She said she had promised your Inner not to."

Sasuke sighed out of relief, and then yelled to his Inner in his mind: _DON'T EVER SAY SUCH EMBARRASSING THINGS ANYMORE! _

**Fine, fine, I get the point. **

---

"OH MY GOD, NEJI! DID YOU REALLY DO IT?" Tenten exclaimed in his face as soon as the black-haired guy entered the main corridor.

"What the hell are you talking about, Tenten?" he asked in annoyance – _never _make Hyuuga Neji mad when he's in a bad mood. Which he certainly was. But Tenten never bothered about that rule – she knew Neji would never hurt her anyway.

"I'm asking if you if you really dated Freya!" she giggled. Neji's face became deep red.

"What the hell!" he snapped. "I've not dated Freya!"

"Oh, really?" she chirped. "Hey, Freya! Isn't it true that Neji asked you out on a date?"

"Yeah, it's true", the girl named Freya said with a serious voice as she stepped forward. Neji made a grimace – she really _was _ugly. Her makeup looked as though it had been put on by a baby, her hair long and dirty, her clothes unfashionable and not going well with each other, and she was the fattest girl he had ever seen. "You did, Neji. Have you already forgotten we were out yesterday?"

"What are you talking about?" he snarled.

"I saw you guys, too", Sasuke added with a smirk as he appeared beside Tenten. "Sakura did, too, and Naruto. Right?"

"Uh-huh!" Naruto agreed with a smirk, too. Sakura merely smiled.

"Whaaat…! I was with Hinata yesterday, her parents told my parents that we could go and eat dinner together! Right, Hinata?"

"Yes, but then you went out. You said you had business to take care of", she giggled.

"Hinata!" he wailed. "Why are you lying!"

"She's not lying, it's the truth, Hyuuga Neji! So what happened on your date? Stop denying it!" Tenten sneered.

"Tenten! You should believe me, at the very least! You've known me since we were kids! You should know I wouldn't go out with Freya!"

"Oh, really?" Tenten practically sang. "But people change, you know, Neji. Back when we were kids, you were a stubborn little boy who had a lot of glaring contests with Sasuke, and never cared about what others thought…"

"TENTEN!"

"Yeah, it's true", Sasuke grinned devilishly.

"SASUKE!"

"I thought you said Freya was a witch?" Naruto smirked.

"NARUTO!" Neji took a deep breath. "WHY DON'T YOU GUYS BELIEVE ME!"

Complete silence. Then…

"AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

"YOU FELL FOR IT!"

"Idiot."

"WHAAAAT!" Neji stared at them.

"We were joking, of course!" Freya laughed. "I know you hate me, Hyuuga, so Tenten came up with this prank and we all agreed to help."

"EEEEH!"

"Are you stupid, or what? We helped her do the prank", Sasuke sneered. "You really are an idiot, Neji."

"And you fell for it!" Tenten giggled delicately.

"TENTEN! YOU EVIL LITTLE…"

"Yeaaaaah?" Tenten sang again.

"DON'T MAKE ME…"

"Make you do what?" she smirked. "Take my book? Oh, what a threat, Neji!"

Then, a devilish sparkle appeared in Neji's eyes. "… kiss you…"

"WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT!" everyone just gaped. Tenten blushed furiously.

"What the…!" she snapped.

"Just kiddin'. And you fell for it!" Neji grinned and began laughing, and was then chased again by Tenten, as usual.

"Where's Kari-chan, by the way?" Sakura asked, as she realized her friend wasn't around.

"Look, she's over there! Let's go talk with her!" Naruto suggested. "Ohayou, Kari-chan! Ohayou, teme", he greeted with a smirk at James, who stood next to Kari, and who had apparently had a conversation with her. Sasuke shot him a death's glare, but Sakura put a hand on his shoulder without the others knowing.

Sasuke, surprised, looked at her, but she only smiled, and then whispered: "No need to overdo it all, Sasuke-kun. I appreciate that you're angry because of what he did, but…" Her smile widened. "… it's enough. Arigatou, Sasuke-kun."

His cheeks turned slightly red as he muttered "Yeah, yeah, whatever". Kari, noticing all of it, just narrowed her eyes…

* * *

**Tsukiko: **Well, guys, the next chapter is coming August 8th! About the time when my friend comes home... geez, I really must go and meet her and her cousin sometime soon... we've been talking about it all summer and we haven't done it at all...  
**Inner Tsukiko: **I don't think anyone's interested in your random rant.  
**Tsukiko: **OK, OK. I'm still stuck at the twenty-fifth chapter if anyone wants to know, due to not knowing what I'll do with Ino and Shika next, because I really want to insert some ShikaIno in that chapter because they're just a minor couple throughout the story and right now I'm in this ShikaIno mood because of a friend of mine and I had this argument whether ShikaIno was better than ShikaTema (which he insisted absolutely wasn't because Ino and Shika didn't fit together, to which I disagree, ending with that I feel extremely ShikaIno-ish.). Well, anyway, I wanted to insert ShikaIno and maybe do ShikaTema some other day in another fic, so right now I'm being stuck how to mix KakaKure and ShikaIno. Note to myself: get a fanfic blender, put KakaKure and ShikaIno in, mix water and sugar and stir. Voilà and bon appetite. Just kidding, I got to eat something soon 'cause I'm hungry. Ja ne!

* * *

**Reviews Corner **

nightmare car: Thanks :D

silverkage-chan: Sometimes Sasuke-kun is so stupid. x.x -screams- WHAT THE HELL, UCHIHA SASUKE, REALIZE THAT YOU'RE IN LOVE WITH HER, MARRY HER AND THE END! -cough- I'm in a rant-like mood today, sorry... haha, I really should've James beaten up another time because he's such a bastard, but unfortunately I can't - or wait, maybe I can? -evil sparkle appears- Mwahahahah... Thanks anyway:)

iamNOTafangirl3221: Thanks ;) Well, all the fics are in the romance genre, so if you're looking for romance, don't worry, you'll find it in all of them XD

nickygirl: Thanks :D

Crazy Gal42: Thanks for reviewing and voting :) And no, Dance with Me is not based on a movie at all. The tournament however, is based on So You Think You Can Dance, but it's not based on anything else but that. I haven't said I wanted her to be 'exactly' goody goody, just a bit more angelic... ah, I'll just let you find out by yourself ;P She's coming soon... in, err, perhaps a month or so XD

Kiete: Thanks, I'm glad that you like it:D

frienz4ever: Thanks:)

MistressBlossom: I'm glad that you like my fic so much :)

Zuan: Thanks:D

Maiden of the Dark Light: Thanks for voting andreviewing:)

HeartAngel: Thanks for voting and reviewing! ;D And yeah, damn James-teme. Sometimes I feel like inserting myself into the story and beat the crap out of him... xD Maybe I should. Lol, just kidding.

**Guys, it's 91 reviews now! I think my family was surprisedwhen I told thembecause first when I got this fic published I started dancing out of joy (well, not practically DANCING since I can't dance) when I got 5 reviews! Thanks for all the reviews, you don't know how happy I feel whenever I get a new one! Hey, we're almost near 100 reviews now! Thanks thanks thanks THANKS and keep on reviewing! ;D**

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**Sneak Preview of Next Chapter: The New Girl**

"Okay. Um, guys..." _Ok, here goes_, Tenten thought. "... I'll go back to Japan."

* * *

**Fanfictions Coming Up!**

Hi guys:D I'm glad that you like This Is (Not) My First Time so much, and I'm grateful for all the reviews I've gotten :) Anyway, to the topic... I want to ask you guys of a favor; can you please vote on which fanfic you want to see written next? I've a couple of ideas, but I don't know which one I should begin with...

Replacement - Obito asked Kakashi to take care of Rin in his place, and to grant his best friend's death wish, he obeyed. But what happens when Rin runs away because she thinks Kakashi's protectiveness is only for Obito's sake? And what happens when they meet, seven years later, both successful and skilled jounins and teachers of two teams, both called Team 7? KakaRin Minor SasuSaku  
Genre: Romance

Don't Forget Me - During their last year in high school, we meet funny, kind and always late for class Haruno Sakura with her four friends, Naruto, Tenten, Neji and Ino. Then a new student arrives, ice prince Uchiha Sasuke, who Sakura's friend Ino immediately claims to be 'hers', and warns them not to try to 'steal' Sasuke. Then, to everybody's horror and surprise, something throws (well, roughly expressed) Sasuke and Sakura together, and just as suddenly as they're announced to be a couple, just as suddenly they're torn apart.. and once again thrown back together, in a cruel game of Hide-and-Seek, guessing and tag. Based on the Korean TV series, Dong Ji Lian Qu (I don't know its original title, tho, only the Chinese translation), which can be translated into something like 'Winter's Romance Tale' or 'Winter's Romantic Tragedy' or something similar (I suck at Chinese). NaruSakuSasuIno Slight NejiTen  
Genre: Romance/Drama

Forbidden Memories - In order to free Sasuke from his curse, Sakura finds Orochimaru's henchmen who possess the power to granta wish for a high price... your memories that you must regain in order to make the wish come true, but you have a time limit... thus, Sakura becomes Orochimaru's test for Sasuke (who is forced to take care of her) to prove his loyalty and the fact that he has broken all bonds. But will Sasuke be able to pass the test? SasuSaku  
Genre: Romance (mostly, it's slightly angsty here and there but it's mainly romance)

**NEW! **Dance With Me - When tough guy and hiphopdancer Uchiha Sasuke and bittersweet ballerina Haruno Sakura were thrown into a wild dancing tournament where they were forced to cooperate, they never knew what awaited them. SasuSaku, minor NejiTen, NaruHina and ShikaIno  
Genre: Romance(maybe angsty?)

**NEW! **Princess Sakura - She's a princess who has just run away from the castle. He's a normal guy who looks like any girl's dream prince. She's cheerful and talkative. He's cold and quiet.So how the hell did things get like this? SasuSaku  
Genre: Romance (mostly, a little bit humor here and there, but..)

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**(A/N: If you find errors such as words pasted together likethis, sentences that are in bold or italics when they shouldn't be or sentences that are repeated even though they're not supposed to, please tell me. This happens a lot out of some unknown reason, and it isn't because it was like that from the beginning - no, when I edit the chapters after uploading them, they get like that. I don't know why, maybe it's my dad's computer being weird. And also, do the symbols ' and ... look weird? Because on dad's computer, it does.)**  



	11. The New Girl

**Disclaimer: **My apologies, everyone, I don't own Naruto. If I had, I'd have made everything SasuSaku right away and stop publishing boring chapters about Naruto's training. (Sorry all who like to see Naruto training, but I think it's really boring.)

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Chapter XI: The New Girl ♥  
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"Hey, guys!" Temari suddenly beamed one day when it was lunchtime. The others blinked at her in surprise.

"Hi, Temari", Tenten greeted. "I haven't seen you for quite some time. What've you been up to? Normally you hang around us!"

"Yeah, sorry about that", she apologized, "But I've been with Shikamaru lately. But I just wanted to introduce my friend to you! She's new here, and she's German, and she's my cousin! Say hello to… Gabrielle!"

The new girl stepped forward, looking totally gorgeous with long, auburn hair, deep ocean-blue eyes and wearing fashionable clothes that fitted her perfectly.

"Konnichiwa", she greeted with a thick European accent. "And oh, _hello_, hottie", she added with a flirtatious look at Neji which made him blush slightly. Tenten's eyebrow twitched dangerously. "What's your name?" the girl continued, walking around the table and flopping down on the empty seat next to Neji.

"Uh… Hyuuga Neji", he said, embarrassed.

"Do you've any girlfriend?" Gabrielle wondered, flapping her eyes an uncountable amount of times.

"Eh… no", he laughed tensely. "Uh… but I've a very good friend who's a girl", he added, smiling nervously at Tenten, who avoided his glance and turned away.

The others were just too stunned to say anything else.

"So… eh… Gabrielle", Sakura tried. "Hi. My name is Haruno Sakura."

"Hi. Do you like Neji?" Gabrielle asked directly, looking threatening.

"Uh… no."

"You're not lying, are you?"

"No, I'm not."

"Good", she replied satisfyingly. "And who're you?" she added, staring daggers at poor Hinata.

"I-I-I'm N-N-Neji's co-cousin", she stammered nervously, flushing.

"Really." Gabrielle's expression softened. "Well, hello to you."

"Hi, guys", Ino began cheerfully as she approached the group together with Chouji and Shikamaru, "What're you up –"

She stopped dead as she stared at the girl sitting close, and I mean _close _to Neji.

"Eh, Neji, seems like you've got yourself a girlfriend, ne?" Ino teased, and a vein popped on Tenten's forehead as she abruptly stood up and said:

"I'm going to the library, see you later."

"Ah… chotto matte, Tenten! I'm coming too!" Sakura replied, pursuing her friend as she took her tray and walked towards the exit too.

"What's with Tenten, she seemed angry?" Ino asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I don't know", Temari smirked, "But she sure seemed jealous. Right, Shikamaru?" she added and winked at him… much to Ino's dismay, who immediately 'hmph'ed and told him loudly (she always talked loudly when she was upset):

"C'mon, Shikamaru, we've other things to do than stand around here and see you flirt with girls!" And then she dragged him off, making everyone sweatdrop. **(A/N: I don't know if Ino really DOES talk loudly when she's upset, but normally people do when they are, right?) **

---

A week passed. Or two? They didn't count. No, everybody was just so caught up with everyday life that they didn't count how many days passed of it.

Gabrielle stayed in Sakura's (and everyone's) class, much to Tenten's dismay, since she occupied at least 98 percentof Neji's attention and spare time, both in school and out of it. Not that she'd admit it, but she was jealous. _Dead _jealous.

Ever since Tenten and Neji had been kids, they had hung about together. The cool guy and the cool girl. Tenten was known as the 'fighting' mistress (A/N: I changed it because they don't use weapons here), and Neji was known as the 'fighting' master. So of course they hung about together.

To begin with, they had never gotten along. Tenten thought he was a rude brat and Neji thought she was an interesting idiot. It was kind of comical that their parents believed them to be friends. So their parents kept inviting them to each other, so that they got to know each other better. Slowly, they developed a friendship, and as they reached puberty, Neji became Tenten's punching bag. And though Neji easily could've hit her unconscious, he preferred to be chased, and everybody knew why – they were so good friends anyway, why hurt each other?

Hinata had always been the peacemaker when they were younger. Back then, Neji would've put his efforts into the fight. Later on, he had softened, and unlike Sasuke, become much more social and funny. That had of course fuelled Tenten's fire to have a real fight with him as back then, but now she mostly just hit him for fun with her famous notebook.

But just lately, she had not hit him at all. How come?

Well, that godforsaken… _thing _had just made him blush every single minute.

Why was it _her _who made Neji blush?

Why wasn't it _her_, Tenten?

"Eh, Tenten? You seem kind of distant today", she heard Sakura's voice say, and she awoke from her angered trance.

"Ah." _I'm starting to sound like Sasuke_, she thought in irritation. "Yeah, I'm a bit tired", she lied.

"Really?" Kari raised an eyebrow.

"Mm."

"You said you had some news to tell us. Can you hurry up? I've some business to get done", Kari continued in impatience.

"'Business', huh? You've been hanging about that James for quite some while now", Tenten observed.

"Yeah, he's kinda okay to be with, y'know? I first thought he was a bastard, but I've changed my mind." She shrugged, and then glanced at Sakura, who ignored Kari's glance and beamed at Tenten:

"Well? Tell us!"

"Okay. Um, guys…" _Ok, here goes_, Tenten thought. "… I'll go back to Japan."

"WHAT!" the three girls shouted in unison, making everybody look at them.

"Uh, yeah", Tenten said, shifting out of discomfort in her chair. "My parents said I could come back and train karate if I wished to. Since they know this world-famous karate champion who's willing to teach me."

"Wow, that's superb, Tenten! But… you can't leave us!" Sakura replied sadly. She knew Tenten loved fighting sports, but she just couldn't let go of her good friend. "But then of course, if you really want to, we won't stop you."

"Of course we will!" Neji chimed in as he arrived to the classroom, followed by Gabrielle. "Tenten, you can't leave us!"

"But I intend to do so", Tenten responded coldly and glared at him. Neji winced.

"What's with you, Tenten? You seem so angry lately", he said cautiously, making sure that he didn't seem angry. If he did, Tenten would probably explode, and that wouldn't be good for any of them. Unfortunately for him, Tenten still exploded.

"Angry? Yeah, I'm angry!" she yelled. "I'm getting freakin' frustrated with your change, Hyuuga Neji! What the hell has happened to you? I thought you were normal, but now you turn out to be as perverted and freaky as James –"

"Hey!" James exclaimed in the background, but Tenten ignored him.

" – and then you just go about with a girl stalking you every single second! It's driving me freakin' insane! I could just throw my notebook away, I don't have any use of it anymore! Besides, I'm not staying here, I'm gonna leave! So forget all those 'friendship' stuff, our friendship is officially ENDED!"

And with those words, she stormed off.

"Hey… what's with her?" Neji asked, staring in disbelief at Tenten.

---

"Shikamaru?"

"Yeah, what?" Shikamaru looked up in annoyance from his notebook, and looked across the table at the gorgeous blonde who was, without a doubt, Yamanaka Ino, President of SUFC and one of Sasuke's #1 fans.

"You know, Temari's friend, Gabrielle."

"Yeah, what's with her?"

"Um… you're kind of… _friendly _with Hyuuga, right?"

Shikamaru raised an eyebrow. "Depends on which you mean." Then he groaned. "Oh, don't tell me. You want to start a new fanclub now, eh? The Hyuuga Neji Fan Club, right? You're so troublesome."

Even though Shikamaru acted so well, he still felt a sting of jealousy in his heart. Why could Ino never see him? They had known each other since they were kids, too. Why did she only see Sasuke and those other handsome guys? Yeah, Shikamaru wasn't the coolest or the handsomest, but he was the smartest. Why could he never like a guy for his intelligence?

"No", Ino giggled. "You don't get it. Gabrielle is head over heels in love with Neji, right? Do you know if he feels the same?"

"Giving up Sasuke, eh?" he tried to tease, though he felt more jealousy washing over him. Luckily for him, his best friend Chouji was ill. If Chouji had been here, he'd have noticed Shikamaru's change of mood and teased him for that the rest of the day. Shikamaru didn't like to admit it, but he had done so once to Chouji. He had a crush on Ino.

It was kind of laughable that he could have a crush on someone like Ino. They were exact opposites, and they kept arguing all the time – unlike when he was with Temari. Temari understood his nature.

But then again, so did Ino. It was just that she didn't approve of it pretty much.

"Yeah", she sighed. "But not for Neji." She winked. "I thought of matching Sasuke with Sakura. They're actually pretty good-looking together. I'm giving up on Sasuke."

"Really." He raised an eyebrow. "So why do you wonder about Neji, then?"

"Can't you see?"

"What?"

"Tenten", she said impatiently, waving her hand in the air. "She's jealous."

"She is? How troublesome."

Ino rolled her eyes. "Anyway, I think she has a crush on Neji. And I think we must help them together again. I've heard from Stella that she's leaving. For Japan."

"Gosh. _That _is troublesome for _them_."

"And now I want you to help."

Shikamaru moaned, as though he was in pain. "Not again! I knew it was something as troublesome as this. You want me to do some 'romantic' stuff, right? Like putting roses in her locker and then write a note and say it's from Neji?"

"No, not that. She'd see through it all. They've known each other as long as…" Ino blushed. "… we've known each other."

Shikamaru was silent.

"So I want you think out stuff. You've high IQ, so prove it to me!" she giggled.

"Or else?" he asked in amusement.

"Or else, I will…" Ino thought for a while. "I will… steal Tenten's notebook and hit you as she did with Neji!"

"OK, OK." Shikamaru sighed. "How troublesome. Well, I guess I'll help you then."

"Awesome!" Ino exclaimed. "Thanks so much, Shikamaru! That was so nice of you", she added, gave him a peck on the cheek, and ran off.

Shikamaru only stared after her. For a long time.

---

Tenten was sitting alone.

It was unbelievable. Tenten, who was always surrounded by her cheerful friends, alone? The girl who never had a loss of companions, sitting all alone by a table, as some kind of geek?

But she didn't want to see them. She didn't want to look her friends in the eyes. Maybe they'd see the truth within her then. They knew her all too well. They'd see the tears that threatened to fall, they'd want to know what was going on, why she was so angry with Neji.

She snorted bitterly. Yeah, why was she so angry?

Because she _loved _him. She really did.

After all those years together, she could no longer push away her feelings, say that it was a temporary illusion. It wasn't. She was in love with him, and she knew it too. Those deep white-blue eyes of his that'd pierce into her chocolate-brown ones… his soft black hair she just longed to touch… his strong embrace, that fierce hug he only granted her when she was hurt and cried… and his protectiveness of her.

Once, when a gang of bullies had hit her in town, he had walked by out of an accident, and he had been so angry he had beaten all of them. They had even become scared. She had been there on the ground, sobbing, helpless. And he had pulled her up, and hugged her. And she hadn't pulled away.

Those moments she cherished deep in her heart still lived. She treasured them, and relived them whenever she was down. Every time she felt depressed, she knew Neji was there for her.

But this time, he wasn't. Because the main source of her pain was he himself. He had caused her this.

"Tenten!" she heard Sakura's voice burst out as they found her. She attempted to move away, but Sakura got hold of her wrist. "Tenten, please sit with us! We just want to keep you company. You mustn't talk if you don't want to."

Slowly, Tenten sat down again. She could feel Neji look at her with concern, but she didn't meet his eyes. She was too afraid she'd start crying if she did.

"Weeeell, Tenten. May I ask why you were so angry?" she heard Gabrielle's voice say. Oh, she hated her so! If just Gabrielle could disappear, all would be fine!... Or, it wouldn't. Maybe Neji would still like Gabrielle then… "Are you jealous, eh? Jealous of _me _and of the love that Neji shows me?" As Neji opened his mouth to protest, Gabrielle pushed her lips to his with a smirk. That was enough for Tenten. Hurriedly picking up her tray, she left despite her friends' shouts.

---

"We've just _gotta _help them back together!" Naruto said as the gang had an emergency meeting (without Tenten, Kari, Sasuke and Neji of course, since Tenten was still mad, and Neji was being pursued by Gabrielle who was not allowed at the 'gang meetings', and Kari was having a 'meeting' with James, and Sasuke never participated in those meetings). "Or else we're dead meat!"

"Yeah", Temari agreed. "We can get Shikamaru's and Ino's help, too. They offered to help. And maybe Chouji, once he gets well. I can't believe it – first he gets one hell of a fever, and then he breaks his leg! Not particularly smart of him…"

"Speaking of the former, aren't they dating now?" Sakura smiled. "I saw them holding hands in the corridor."

"Y-yeah, m-m-me too", Hinata stammered in agreement.

"Yup", Temari grinned broadly.

"Weren't _you _dating Shikamaru? I heard from Gaara that he's at your place a lot", Naruto asked in disbelief.

"Nah, we were just friends. Besides, we were speaking of techniques how to make Ino fall in love with him", she snickered. "He really has one hell of a brain, I'm sure he can come up with ideas concerning this."

"Hey, we can throw a party! I'm sure she'll be so touched by it so that she'll stay", Sakura suggested.

"She isn't really that type", Hinata responded normally, forgetting for once that she was in Naruto's company. Then she flushed as she realized this.

"Hmm. Wait, I'm sure Tenten likes Neji…", Sakura began mischievously.

"'Course she does. You can see it, it's so _obvious_", Temari responded, rolling her eyes.

"… so does Neji like her too?"

"Yeah, he must. He's like… always talking about Tenten. Tenten this, Tenten that", Naruto grinned. "The other day we watched a movie, and I said the main actress was beautiful – she looked like you, Hinata! – and he was like, 'Nah, Tenten is prettier.'"

Hinata blushed pretty much because of this. "Th-thanks, Naruto-kun", she managed to stutter with a weak smile, as though she was about to faint.

"Hmm, then we can make Neji do something _during _the party", Sakura grinned. "Like… kiss her?"

"Sure about that? She might slap him", Temari remarked, raising an eyebrow.

"Hmm, yeah. That's a problem", Sakura sighed. "How about… tell her… ah, I don't know! Let's just throw a party anyway. Maybe that'll work. If not, then nothing works. I don't think talking will convince her", she added miserably.

"That's true. But where to hold the party?" Naruto asked. "My place isn't big enough."

"We could have it at my house, but my parents wouldn't be pleased", Hinata frowned.

"Neji's place perhaps?" Temari tried.

"Nah, it must be a surprise party, right?" Naruto said. "If so, then she'd refuse. She'd immediately recognize his house. It must be a place she hasn't gone to yet."

"And that'd be…? She has been to every person's house in the class already!" Temari exclaimed in frustration.

"Hey, wait, I know a place she hasn't gone to", Sakura said suddenly.

"Which?" everybody asked at the same time.

"Sasuke's house. She said Sasuke doesn't invite girls home, so that must mean she has not been there?"

"That's actually true", Naruto agreed thoughtfully. "Only guys have been at Sasuke's place. Ew, that sounded gay!"

Temari laughed. "OK, that makes the deal. Somebody ask Sasuke that favor. Someone?" She looked pleadingly around. Nobody said anything.

"Sasuke-teme hates favors", Naruto excused himself.

"I-I'm b-b-bad at a-asking", Hinata apologized.

"He'll turn me down", Sakura sighed.

"OK, let's make it fair and square." Temari ripped off a paper from her notebook and parted it in four equally big squares (how did she do that?) and wrote 'You do it' on one of them, then she folded each of them prettily and put them on the table. After mixing around with them, she did a gesture towards the papers. "To show that I'm not cheating, you guys will pick first and leave me with the last one. That way, I can't cheat beforehand."

"Okay!" Naruto said cheerfully, picked up a paper and unfolded it nervously. "YAY! I DIDN'T GET IT!" he cheered.

Hinata was next. She took a paper, unfolded it breathlessly, and then sighed out of relief.

The third was Sakura. She frowned as she eyed the two papers, before taking the closest one. And sighed. "OK, I got it", she said disappointedly.

"Hey, don't worry, girl, I'm convinced that he won't say no", Temari tried to cheer her up, but to no avail…

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**Tsukiko: **So Tenten is going back to Japan, eh...  
**Inner Tsukiko: **WHY IS THERE NO SASUSAKU IN THIS CHAPTER!  
**Tsukiko: **Whoa, calm it o.O; There'll be more SasuSaku coming soon.  
**Inner Tsukiko: **Good for you. Hmph. -snorts-  
**Tsukiko: **Well, the next chapter is published August 11th. (Oh no, the summer holidays are almost over!) Ja ne:)

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**Reviews Corner (ONE HUNDRED FRIGGIN' REVIEWS! HUZZAHWHOAYAYBANZAIWOOT! -goes insane and begins to dance randomly-)**

silverkage-chan: Yeah! Yay for the Inners! ;D The KakaKure coming soon... but I just realized, there won't be any serious KakaKure in this fic, just some fluff... :( Unless I do another bonus chapter, that is... maybe I should? ;P

Crazy Gal42: So You Think You Can Dance is a tv program about a dance tournament, but I don't know who's eliminated or not because 1. I can't remember their names XD 2. the country I live in is a bit slow on showing episodes of the tv program, the episode last week was aired in USA June 20th or something, so... x.x But you can just search on Google, then you'll know ;P Hmm, well, whether Cindy is bitchy or angelic you'll see further on ;D

nickygirl: Thanks :) Is Kari evil? XD

frienz4ever: Thanks :D

nightmare car:Thanks, I'm glad that you like it ;)

Zuan: YAY! Cookies!Arigatou:D

Shy-Princess: Thanks :)

HeartAngel: Mwahahaha. Am I confusing you? I love confusing people. -smirks- Mwahahahahaha! Anyway, -cough-, thanks:D And yeah, poor Neji... XD And OMG! You're the hundredth reviewer... so therefore I let you decide if you want a bonus chapter in this fic or not, and what pairing you want to dedicate it toif you want one (but remember, you can only dedicate it to pairings that are in this story, for example,you can't requestNejiSaku because it's already SasuSaku and NejiTen);) If you don't wanta bonus chapter, you can always wait with that and request a bonus chapter in one of my other fics. Private Message me with your response, please:D (PS. You can also decide some minor details in the bonus chapter, like what you'd like it to be about, but not too many details because I want it to be a surprise for everyone, including you XD)

drenchedinblood: Thanks:P And now you got the answer, ne?;)

**OMFG! 100 REVIEWS! I LOVE YOU, MINNA-SAN! KEEP ON REVIEWING! Okay, maybe I should turn off the CAPS LOCK now. XD  
**

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**Sneak Preview of Next Chapter: SOS Someone Rescue Me**

Sakura was blushing furiously, feeling as though she had just come down from a wild rollercoaster, since she felt dizzier than ever.

_AH! SOMEBODY HELP ME! _she screamed in her mind.

* * *

**Fanfictions Coming Up!**

Hi guys:D I'm glad that you like This Is (Not) My First Time so much, and I'm grateful for all the reviews I've gotten :) Anyway, to the topic... I want to ask you guys of a favor; can you please vote on which fanfic you want to see written next? I've a couple of ideas, but I don't know which one I should begin with...

Replacement - Obito asked Kakashi to take care of Rin in his place, and to grant his best friend's death wish, he obeyed. But what happens when Rin runs away because she thinks Kakashi's protectiveness is only for Obito's sake? And what happens when they meet, seven years later, both successful and skilled jounins and teachers of two teams, both called Team 7? KakaRin Minor SasuSaku  
Genre: Romance

Don't Forget Me - During their last year in high school, we meet funny, kind and always late for class Haruno Sakura with her four friends, Naruto, Tenten, Neji and Ino. Then a new student arrives, ice prince Uchiha Sasuke, who Sakura's friend Ino immediately claims to be 'hers', and warns them not to try to 'steal' Sasuke. Then, to everybody's horror and surprise, something throws (well, roughly expressed) Sasuke and Sakura together, and just as suddenly as they're announced to be a couple, just as suddenly they're torn apart.. and once again thrown back together, in a cruel game of Hide-and-Seek, guessing and tag. Based on the Korean TV series, Dong Ji Lian Qu (I don't know its original title, tho, only the Chinese translation), which can be translated into something like 'Winter's Romance Tale' or 'Winter's Romantic Tragedy' or something similar (I suck at Chinese). NaruSakuSasuIno Slight NejiTen  
Genre: Romance/Drama

Forbidden Memories - In order to free Sasuke from his curse, Sakura finds Orochimaru's henchmen who possess the power to granta wish for a high price... your memories that you must regain in order to make the wish come true, but you have a time limit... thus, Sakura becomes Orochimaru's test for Sasuke (who is forced to take care of her) to prove his loyalty and the fact that he has broken all bonds. But will Sasuke be able to pass the test? SasuSaku  
Genre: Romance (mostly, it's slightly angsty here and there but it's mainly romance)

**NEW! **Dance With Me - When tough guy and hiphopdancer Uchiha Sasuke and bittersweet ballerina Haruno Sakura were thrown into a wild dancing tournament where they were forced to cooperate, they never knew what awaited them. SasuSaku, minor NejiTen, NaruHina and ShikaIno  
Genre: Romance(maybe angsty?)

**NEW! **Princess Sakura - She's a princess who has just run away from the castle. He's a normal guy who looks like any girl's dream prince. She's cheerful and talkative. He's cold and quiet.So how the hell did things get like this? SasuSaku  
Genre: Romance (mostly, a little bit humor here and there, but..)

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**(A/N: If you find errors such as words pasted together likethis, sentences that are in bold or italics when they shouldn't be or sentences that are repeated even though they're not supposed to, please tell me. This happens a lot out of some unknown reason, and it isn't because it was like that from the beginning - no, when I edit the chapters after uploading them, they get like that. I don't know why, maybe it's my dad's computer being weird. And also, do the symbols ' and ... look weird? Because on dad's computer, it does.)**


	12. SOS Someone Rescue Me

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Naruto. I don't know how many times I've said this now... XD

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♥ Chapter XII: SOS Rescue Me ♥  
---

Sakura hadn't known Sasuke for a very long time, but she knew him quite well – and she knew he was the kind of type that didn't approve of people asking for favors.

And here she was, trying to do the thing he disliked the most.

Sighing heavily, Sakura proceeded towards Sasuke in the corridor when she noticed a bunch of fangirls surrounding him. As she eyed his annoyed expression, she decided she'd better leave him alone for the moment.

"Well, Sakura? Have you asked yet?" Temari wondered, making Sakura jump in surprise.

"Shit, Temari! Don't scare the crap out of me!" she exclaimed, as the blonde just laughed.

"That's my favorite hobby. Better get used to it", she said teasingly. "Well?"

"What?"

"Have you done it?"

"If you mean the favor, no."

"Why? Don't have the guts?"

"I just figured it wasn't the right moment."

Temari giggled. "Gee, Sakura, you make it sound like a big deal."

"It sure is", she sighed. "Sasuke-kun doesn't like people asking for favors, right?"

"You might just be an exception", Temari teased. "I've heard rumors…"

"Hi, guys. What're you up to?" Tenten asked darkly as she approached them.

"Ohayou, Tenten", Sakura smiled. "We're just talking about, eh, Gaara", she quickly made up.

"Gaara?" One of Tenten's eyebrows perked up. "Since when did he become such a hot topic?"

"Well, he's my little brother, and Sakura was just asking about how he was doing and that kind of stuff", Temari replied casually. "What about you? Seems pretty down, right?"

"Yea… I guess I'm just worrying about the airplane flight. I hate airplanes", Tenten shivered, but both Temari and Sakura knew she was lying, but they didn't bring it up, as Naruto arrived together with Hinata.

"Ohayou, Sakura-chan! Ohayou, Temari! Ohayou, Tenten!" Naruto beamed at them.

"Ohayou, Naruto", Sakura grinned. "Seems like you've eaten ramen again for breakfast again, seeing how you've got noodles stuck to your mouth. Don't you ever get tired of ramen?"

"How can you say that, Sakura-chan?" Naruto burst out, looking hurt. "Ramen is a thing that you just can't get tired of! It's way too _divine _to be tiresome!"

"Really? _I _have started to grow tired of it", Temari said, sticking out her tongue at him. "Every time I go eating with you guys out of school, it's always ramen. Hinata, you didn't really eat breakfast with Naruto, did you?"

"Ah? Um… yes, I did", Hinata blushed.

"Wow, so you went out on a date or something?" Tenten asked impressively.

"Uh, yeah, you could call it that", Naruto grinned with a red tint on his cheeks.

"Cool!" Sakura looked happily at them. "So you're officially a couple now?"

"Ano sa, ano sa… where's Sasuke-teme?" Naruto quickly changed the topic.

"No idea, he tried to get rid of his fangirls. I think Neji went with him", Temari responded, and Tenten's face expression darkened.

"I'm off now, guys, I've a book to borrow in the library. Ja!" she said with an emotionless voice quite similar to Sasuke's, just that Sasuke's blank voice seemed natural and Tenten's didn't. The four friends stared at Tenten's retreating back.

"I wonder if our plan really will work", Temari sighed.

---

During chemistry class, Naruto fell asleep halfway through when Asuma **(A/N: That's his name, right?) **talked about their upcoming experiment, and Sakura quickly wrote a note to Sasuke and threw it over across Naruto's sleeping head. Fortunately for them, Asuma was too caught up in his own lecture to notice what his students were doing.

Sasuke blinked in surprise at the paper and looked questioningly at Sakura.

"Open it", she mouthed, and after some more confused looks and some more repeated mouthing, Sasuke at last opened the crumbled paper.

_Sasuke-kun_, it said, _can we just talk on the school roof after school? Got something important to tell you. Is that OK with you?_

Even though Sasuke didn't show it, he was very curious about what Sakura had to say, thus, he only shrugged as Sakura gave him a hopeful look. Smiling in return, Sakura returned to listening to Asuma's lecture…

---

Sakura was leaning towards the fence as she gazed at the view from the school roof. She had always loved high places, because she was one good climber, and as young she had always preferred to be in treetops than on the ground. After a little accident that had caused a twisted ankle, she had learnt her lesson, but she still loved heights, because of the view that they provided the climbers of.

Reminiscing, a memory suddenly came to her mind from her childhood…

_**Flashback. ** _

Sakura was on her way to her favorite tree; her friends had gone home for the day, and now she only wanted to be alone and climb trees. She'd not admit it to the other girls that she liked climbing, though; she knew it was tomboyish to do it, and they'd probably taunt her for it. Better be safe than sorry, she thought with a shrug, as she began to climb, just to find a pair of obsidian eyes stare down at her.

Her emerald orbs returned the blank stare. For a moment, only silence was between them. You could even hear a bird chirp in the distance. Then…

"What're you doing in my favorite tree!" they exclaimed at the same time, and then said in chorus: "Hey! That's my phrase!"

They stared at each other again, this time more intently. Onyx met jade, and jade met onyx. At last, Sakura jumped down to the ground agilely and glared at the boy in the tree. He was amazingly cute, she noticed. Spiky black hair and obsidian eyes, wearing a black t-shirt and a pair of white shorts, along with a pair of black sandals. The dark colors were even more clear on the ground, seeing how he was among such lightly colored flowers – they were pink cherry blossom – and she looked curiously at the scene before her. It looked almost like a painting, she thought.

"Oi. What you starin' at?" he snapped. Sakura just smiled back.

"You. Because you're cute", she giggled. The boy put on a disapproving frown.

"You're not a fangirl,… right?" he asked hesitantly.

"Eh? Fangirl?" She blinked in surprise, and then gaped at him. "You've fangirls?"

He shrugged. "Duh, why else would I be asking it?"

"Wow, that's super cool! Are you a celebrity or something?"

"I don't know. Maybe I am, maybe I'm not."

"You don't even know whether or not you're famous?"

"Well, I'm famous in **school **if that's what you mean."

"Cool! Which school do you attend?"

"The Academy. And you?"

"The same! What's your name, then?"

"My name is…"

**End Flashback.**

"Yo."

Sakura woke up from her daydreams and blushed at the sight of Sasuke. He was handsomer than ever, now that he was in close-up view, too. Come to think of it, he even looked like the boy from her childhood.

"H-h-hi", she stammered. _DAMMIT! WHY CAN'T I ACT NORMAL! _she screeched in her head.

**_Because you're NOT normal_**, Inner Sakura replied matter-of-factly.

"What you thinkin' about?" he asked blankly, as he noticed her blush.

"A-a-ah? N-no, no-nothing! Just… just nothing in particular!" Sakura exclaimed, laughing nervously. He crossed his arms, raised an eyebrow, and put on an amused smirk.

"Really? And why do you then laugh?"

"Ah? I… I laugh?"

"Yes, in case you didn't notice, you laughed."

"R-r-really? Ahahaha! Um,…"

Sakura was blushing furiously, feeling as though she had just come down from a wild rollercoaster, since she felt dizzier than ever.

_AH! SOMEBODY HELP ME! _she screamed in her mind.

---

"Tenten?"

Tenten looked up from her thick book, namely _Digital Fortress _by Dan Brown. Now Tenten never was an enthusiastic reader, seeing how she was too lazy to engage herself in books, but this time it was an exception. Reading, she had heard, drove off thoughts. And she had just proved that statement to be true. Almost, that is, because when you're interrupted in your reading by a _certain person_, then you just can't read on.

"What?" she muttered, glaring into those blue-white eyes she knew so well.

"Hi", Neji said, with a hint of relief out of some reason, as he seated down opposite her seat. "I almost thought you were in trance or something. You didn't hear me when I called you, did you?"

"No, I didn't, and if you haven't noticed, I'm reading, so please don't disturb me", Tenten snapped as she tried to read on. _David Becker wandered aimlessly down Avenida del Cid and tried to collect his thoughts. Muted shadows played on the cobblestones beneath his feet._

"Tenten?" Neji chuckled. "Not being able to control your temperament as usual, I can see. You really need to get some private tutoring in temperament control."

_David Becker wandered aimlessly down Avenida del Cid and tried to collect his thoughts. Muted shadows played on the cobblestones beneath his feet._

"Tenten? You're listening?" Neji asked in confusion.

_David Becker wandered aimlessly down Avenida del Cid and tried to collect his thoughts. Muted shadows played on the cobblestones beneath his feet._

_Can I stop reading this sentence over and over again? _Tenten thought in annoyance. _But I don't get what it's about! I only hear Neji's voice all the time. Damn Neji, why did he have to disturb my concentration! _

"Tenten?" Neji repeated doubtfully.

"Hn", Tenten replied very Sasuke-likely.

"Seems like someone is picking up on Sasuke's bad habits", Neji teased. No response.

_David Becker wandered aimlessly down the muted shadows and tried to play on his thoughts beneath his feet. _

_WHAT THE HELL, I'M STARTING TO MIX THE SENTENCES UP!_ Tenten thought angrily.

"Hey, Tenten", Neji sighed. "Are you sure you really want to do this? I mean, I know you love fighting, but… going home to Japan…" He hesitated. "Are you really sure you want to do that?"

_David Becker wandered aimlessly down the cobblestones and tried to collect the muted shadows. WHAT THE HELL!  
_

"I mean…" Neji looked at her hopelessly. "I don't know why I've made you mad, but I –"

"Go away", Tenten cut across him without giving him a glance. "Go away!"

_David Becker wandered aimlessly down his thoughts and tried to play on the muted shadows beneath his Avenida del Cid. _

"Tenten…", Neji began, but Tenten interrupted him again.

"Don't you have any Gabrielle to go and talk with? If you're so eager to start a conversation, why don't you go to her? Go away!" she half-yelled without looking up from her book.

_David Becker wandered aimlessly down his feet and tried to collect the cobblestones._

"If that's what you want, then fine." Neji's cold voice struck her like an arrow. _No, don't go away! _she wanted to scream. _Just tell me you want to break up with Gabrielle, and I'll be fine! Don't go away, Neji! _

But she never said these words. Instead, she could hear the sound of Neji's footsteps gradually fade away, while she continued to read the same sentence.

_David Becker wandered aimlessly down Avenida del Cida…_

"DAVID BECKER MY ASS!" Tenten shouted, and shut the book so abruptly and with such force that it fell down to the floor.

"Miss!" the startled librarian said. "Please don't make such a racket in the school library!"

"Fine! Like I care!" Tenten spat back without caring about her manners, and stomped out of the library. Once she was alone in the deserted corridor where the library belonged to, she felt her salty tears fall down her cheeks.

_I need help… someone please help me…_, she thought desperately as she began to sob.

---

One of Sasuke's eyebrows rose.

Now, this was no surprise. 'Hn', 'aa', raising his eyebrows and smirking were just a few of the things that belonged to CUSSTHND. Sounds weird? Here's the explanation: **C**ommon **U**chiha **S**asuke **S**tuff **T**hat **H**e **N**ormally **D**oes. It was a 'scientific' term that the SUFC had made up, and normally, one of the things that belonged to the CUSSTHND was that he didn't use 'scientific' terms that SUFC had made up, but this one was just way too good to waste.

For the past quarter of an hour, he had heard Sakura babble on about what she had done in school. He glanced at her face; she looked as though she'd faint. What was with her anyway? She said she'd say something important, and now she acted as though her mouth couldn't be shut close. He resisted the urge to sigh. Too bad, Sakura had been one of the few girls who could actually collect her calmness when he was around.

"Sakura", he interrupted her as she started going on about a shopping tour she had been planning to do with her friends at Galeries Lafayette, one of Paris' finest shopping centers, "What is it you wanted to talk about? Is this the 'important' thing you wanted to tell me about?"

"Ah, wha, no!" she exclaimed and grinned sheepishly. "Um, eh, uh… S-S-S-Sasuke-kun?"

"If this is about a date, the answer is no", Sasuke replied in one breath, used to saying it. _Goddammit, don't tell me she has joined the SUFC… no, no, no, no, NO._

"A date?" Sakura began giggling, and then she looked as her normal self again. "It's not about that, silly!" she laughed as she elbowed Sasuke jokingly. Sasuke looked relieved. _Thank god. I almost thought she was going to turn into a rabid fangirl too._

"What is it about, then?" he asked.

"Well… um… I wanted to ask for some help", she said shyly, smiling nervously.

"Help?" he repeated in disbelief.

"Yeah, you see, it's about…"

* * *

**Tsukiko: **Hmm, this chapter wasn't that long, but I enjoyed writing it (especially the part with Tenten being in the library XD I just took a random book from my bookshelf, chose a random page and a random sentence, it was kinda fun changing the words' positions)... next chapter will be published August 14th! (Oh no, 6 days before I'm back in school! T.T)  
**Inner Tsukiko: **... You better hurry up with that twenty-fifth chapter. And the other fics too... you haven't been writing The Curse of OOCness for ages.  
**Tsukiko: **Yeah, I know, writer's block... ;.; But hey, I published two new fics today (The Curse of OOCness and Thank You), AND this chapter, so... anyhow, I want to eat something now... or play ping-pong... ja! ;)

* * *

**Reviews Corner (OMFG 100 REVIEWS! I know it has been like that for several days now, but still... WOHOO! 100 reviews!) **

silverkage-chan: Well, the KakaKure is in Chapter 25... so I think you'll have to wait a while (16 days, actually) XD Hmm, another bonus... why not... but I'll have to see what our hundredth-review-bonus-chapter-bonus-winner says XP If HeartAngel wants a bonus chapter in this fic, we'll just have to see which couple HeartAngel dedicates it to... ;)(Or we can wait untilwe get a two-hundredth-review-bonus-chapter-bonus-winner XD)And thanks ;D

Shy-Princess: Thanks :)

hushhushyou: Yeah, poor Tenten... / Hmm, we'll see if they get together soon, ne? ;) All depends onwhether Sasuke wants to help them or not...

Zuan: Thanks :D And more SasuSaku coming pretty soon!

everlasting memories: Thanks :) That'd be fun to see XD Inner Neji! Lol.

hyperxchick34 a.k.a. Crazy Gal42: Hmm, I don't know if it has ended yet, in the previous episode I think there were seven couples left, but that's because the country I live in is so slow with showing them x.x (Lol, it said "LIVE" on the show and I really thought it was, until I went to the website myself and realized that the episode I had just watched was aired about a month ago in US.) And I won't reveal when Cindy shows up... yet... -snickers evilly- Oh no, school for you too? e.e I wish the summer holidays lasted forever!

frienz4ever: Thanks :)

MistressBlossom: Thanks, and yup, I will:D

nickygirl: Thanks ;D

sakura59515: Thanks, I'm glad that you like it :)

**FREAKIN' AWESOME! 100 REVIEWS! WHOOO! -dances-**

**

* * *

_Sneak Preview of Next Chapter: Friends? _**(A/N: Spoiler: In my opinion, in this chapter Sasuke is stupider than in any other chapter in the entire fic.)

"What? You don't… _want _to?"

"Yeah." Sakura flipped a page, avoiding Ino's stare.

"Have you two… argued or something?"

"No… I just… realized something."

**

* * *

Fanfictions Coming Up! **

Now you think I'll write the same as usual, right, with all the fics and stuff? WRONG! No, I' mhere to tell you about how it went and what's going to happen now. :) (PS. I hope I didn't count wrong. u.u; I don't count votes on the same fic from the same user, btw.)

Don't Forget Me received five votes. Dancewith Mereceived four votes.Forbidden Memories received three votes. Princess Sakura received three votes. And Replacement received zero votes. XD

Okay, my original idea was that I'd wait until a fic got ten votes, but now I think you guys are pretty tired of reading the same thing over and over again, so I've made my decision... and my decision is that I'll wait a little with Don't Forget Me. I've a bit of Writer's Block atm, and I'm trying to find that DVD with the beginning of the Korean TV series I've based the story on, but I've already started planning Dance with Me (I only have a tiny problem and the problem is that I can't dance andI need to find my sis ASAP and have her help me because she has two awesome coreographers asbest friends and she's currently dancing in her spare time as well).

I've already started with Forbidden Memories and I'm done with the prologue, but I'm a bit stuck in Princess Sakura's prologue. So I think I'm going to publish Don't Forget Me first once I'm done searching for the DVD and my Writer's Block is over, then when I get Writer's Block again (which I'm bound to get sooner or later) I'll publish Dance with Me, and if I get Writer's Block on both of them, it's Forbidden Memories and if I get Writer's Block on all three I publish Princess Sakura, and if I get Writer's Block on all four... well, then you'll have to read my other fics XD

Meanwhile, I've three other fics going on - My Catastrophic Birthday, The Curse of OOCnessand the soon-to-come Another Me, so while you're waiting, feel free to read them - or this ficcy! XD

Thanks for all the votes (and reviews!)!  
Tsukiko

* * *

**(A/N: If you find errors such as words pasted together likethis, sentences that are in bold or italics when they shouldn't be or sentences that are repeated even though they're not supposed to, please tell me. This happens a lot out of some unknown reason, and it isn't because it was like that from the beginning - no, when I edit the chapters after uploading them, they get like that. I don't know why, maybe it's my dad's computer being weird. And also, do the symbols ' and ... look weird? Because on dad's computer, it does.)**


	13. Friends?

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Naruto. (Is it just my dad's computer, or does the add-ruler-thing not work?)

---

♥ Chapter XIII: Friends? ♥  
---

As Sakura explained the situation to him, her smile widened. Deciding to turn away from her gorgeous smile, Sasuke instead stared at the sunset in front of them as he leaned back towards the fence.

"And that's all", Sakura finished gleefully. "Sasuke-kun, will you help us then?"

Sasuke was silent. A breeze ruffled their hair, and a bird's wings flapped as it flew past them.

In other words, complete silence fell upon the two of them.

"… Sasuke-kun?" she repeated with hope in her voice.

"What makes you think I'll help you?" he asked emotionlessly.

"Ne, if we're really friends, then we should help each other, right?" she smiled.

Sasuke wrinkled his forehead. "And who said we were friends? I've never been your friend. You've never been mine."

The smile faded away from Sakura's face, slowly. Sasuke didn't notice, since he didn't look at her, but Sakura's face expression suddenly looked as blank as his… if not even glum.

"Oh", she uttered so indifferently that Sasuke looked at her in astonishment, but couldn't see her face because she was staring down at the floor. "Gomen. I thought we were. Sorry for my misunderstanding."

Sasuke began to think, hard. Normally, Sasuke would never bother to think fast. He always had the time to think. During emergencies, his instincts just took over, but now it came to strategies, not instincts. Strategies…? For what?

_It's so strange. I want to say we're friends. Why? We're not friends. I'm not friends with any girl. I swore that **day **by **her **name that I'd never befriend a girl again… so we're not friends. But why do I want to say that we are? _

**Because you like her**, Inner Sasuke smirked.

_I don't. I think she's annoying. I mean, hell, she has broken all my 'normal' routines! Like not needing to think of strategies when talking. C'mon, strategies are used for **games**, not for talking. _

**_Love is a game. _**

_What the…! I'm not in love with her. _

_**Maybe not, but you're at least friends, right? ** _

_Hn. _

**_Stubborn ass. _**

_Dobe. _

_**HEY! I'M NOT NARUTO! ** _

_Whatever. So what should I do? _

**Like I care. Your business, not mine, isn't it? You're the one doing stuff. I'm the one thinking. **

_Yeah, so give me some damn advice then, damn thinker! _

**How the hell am I supposed to know? You're so damn stubborn about everything anyway, so it's not like I can convince you to do anything smart like tell her that you're still friends! Oops, did I just give you my advice? **

But she's not my friend! Why lie, then?

**She is. Why else would you react the way you do? Protective, kind, all that stuff that you're not to other girls. You know she's special, that's why you like her. Not like-love if that's what you're fussing about, but like as a friend. **

_Hn. You've got a point in that. _

**_Duh. Admit it, Super Genius Sasuke Uchiha, you're her friend and you damn well knows it. So go on and tell her it now. _**

But just as Sasuke decided to talk, he noticed he couldn't do it, because… Sakura was gone.

---

_DAMN SASUKE! DAMN SASUKE! DAMN, DAMN, DAMN! _Sakura thought angrily as she marched down the empty corridors. She didn't even bother to go to her locker; why would she need to do that? They had no homework today, and it's not like she couldn't get her bag tomorrow. Besides, her keys and metro card were in her pocket, and she was already wearing her jacket, so why would she need to go to her locker?

**_Hey, chill it, Outer. You seem angry. What happened when I was asleep? _**Inner Sakura asked curiously as she stifled a yawn. **_Oh, let me guess. Ino put slime in your locker? Or… _**Her Inner smiled mischievously. **_You're being jealous of one of Sasuke's fangirls? _**

_NO! _Sakura bellowed in her mind at her Inner as she stomped out of the schoolyard and towards the metro station. Lucky for her, the metro train home just arrived. _I HATE SASUKE! _

**No –kun? **Inner Sakura said in disbelief. **_Hey, hey, Outer, what's going on? _**

_NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS! IF YOU WANT TO KNOW IT SO MUCH, WHY DON'T YOU JUST GO AND DIG IN MY MEMORIES? _

**Whoa, no need to be so mad. Unless my memory is failing me, I remember you forbidding me to go and search in your memories archive without your permission? **

YEAH, BUT NOW YOU HAVE THE PERMISSION, SO JUST GO AND DO IT!

Sakura felt hot tears start to trickle down her cheeks as the train began to go. A French boy in her own age sat down beside her and put his arm around her shoulders.

"Hey, beautiful, don't cry! I'm here for ya." He flashed a grin at her after his speech in lousy English, but Sakura only punched him in the face and cried in Japanese:

"PERVERT! MORON! GET OFF ME, YOU BAKA!"

With these words, she stomped away further down the train to find another seat.

---

_I wonder how she reacted? _Sasuke thought as he sat in his limousine home to his pretty mansion. _She probably smiled and understood my nature. She knows how I am, right? Cold and unemotional. Yeah, that's the Uchiha Sasuke everyone knows. _

Sasuke shrugged the thought off as he arrived. _I bet she doesn't mind about what happened. I'll just apologize tomorrow and everything will be back to normal. I've just to make sure the dobe doesn't get to know what's going on; he'd probably scorn me 'til death tears us apart. God, that sounded **gay**. _

**(A/N: Guys, don't misunderstand me now. I don't have anything against yaoi, in fact, I even like NaruSasu slightly, I don't hate it, but this is a SasuSaku fic and in this fic, Sasuke is NOT gay, and since that sentence made it sound NaruSasu-ish… yeah, you get the point, don't you? XD) **

---

"Sakura?" Cecilia looked up in astonishment as the pink-haired teen stormed into the apartment without even a greeting. "You seem pretty angered. The way you shut the door almost broke it; you must be careful with things! Mending is not cheap, you know."

"Yeah, yeah, aunt Cecilia", Sakura muttered as she went towards her bedroom, and shut the door again – this time more carefully, but all the same pretty violently.

Cecilia sighed. "What's with her today?"

---

_And I thought… I thought we were friends! I'm an idiot. I really am a big idiot. _

Sakura flopped down on her bed and threw her bag carelessly at the wardrobe, and didn't even care about the noise it caused.

_I thought… I really thought he'd be a special friend. He was. But apparently, I was not the same to him. I was not even a **friend**. So that's what he does, eh, playing around with girls like that? No wonder he has a bunch of admirers. Bet'cha he's a playboy. _

_Why am I so concerned anyway? It's not like he managed to play with my feelings. Or well, he did, but he never made me fall in love with him. Ha, take that, emotionless bastard. _

_I HATE YOU, SASUKE! YOU'RE JUST A BIG MORON WHO LIKES TO PLAY WITH OTHERS' FEELINGS! YOU PLAYED WITH MINE! YOU… YOU MADE ME FEEL SPECIAL! YOU ACTUALLY DID, YOU COLD-HEARTED TEME! _

Suddenly, Sakura heard the phone ringing downstairs. She cursed herself for not staying in Cindy's bedroom today – she liked switching her bedroom back and forth so she spent one night in her own room and one night in Cindy's super-comfy room – because there was a phone there. If aunt Cecilia told her friends that she was in a bad mood, they'd nag her forever about what was going on, and then she'd never get any peace. Then she heard her loud aunt speaking.

"… Sakura? Oh, she's upstairs. But I think you should be cautious, she's not in a good mood."

Sakura swore under her breath as she went out of the room and to the living room. "Is that for me?" she asked with a bitter smile as she eyed the telephone.

"Yeah." Cecilia handed the receiver to Sakura. "Here. Seems like it's a multiple-connection, though, so don't be surprised if there're several people talking at once." **(A/N: I don't know if this really works, but I've seen it once in some TV series – forgot which one – that the main character talked with two or more persons at the same time on the phone.) **

"Hi", she muttered in the receiver.

"Hi!" answered three voices in chorus.

"Well?" Temari's voice said impatiently.

"Did Sasuke-teme say yes?" Naruto demanded to know.

"How did it go?" Hinata asked excitedly.

"No."

Silence.

"What? He said no?" Temari repeated, startled.

"Well, he didn't exactly say no, but he meant no."

"What do you mean? Tell us!"

"It's nothing. He just asked me why I asked for this favor, and I told him the truth, and then he just said that he didn't want to. He didn't exactly say 'no', but he said he 'didn't want to'", Sakura swiftly made up, feeling too uncomfortable to tell them about how Sasuke had said they weren't friends and all that.

"Really?" Naruto said in disbelief. "It's hard to believe. But then again, Sasuke-teme can be surprising at times. I thought he'd say yes. After all, it's you who's the one asking."

"And why would that make a difference?" Sakura asked.

"Because… well, we all know he's a bit _attached _to you", Naruto said in this singsong voice.

"He isn't. He has never been", Sakura retorted expressionlessly.

"Sakura-chan? Are you alright? Your aunt said you were in a bad mood", Hinata asked worriedly.

"Oh, _that_. Well, you see, a dog attacked my halfway home and totally ruined my clothes, and then I slipped on a banana peel and I also forgot my bag in my locker. Besides, it's _that_ time of the month", Sakura lied.

"Eh… okay", Temari said, and Sakura could've sworn she sweatdropped. Not that it mattered to her anyway.

"Anyway, I'm in a hurry, I've got to do some grocery shopping, so – ja", Sakura finished and hung up. She then stared at the receiver, her hand still on it. _I'm lying to my friends, while they worry about me. What kind of a friend am I, really? I'm no better than Sasuke-teme… _

---

At last, for what seemed like an eternity, the next day came. Sakura dragged herself miserably out of bed, changed clothes, brushed her teeth, and went to the kitchen to get some breakfast. Seeing the not-so-happy Sakura, Cecilia raised an eyebrow.

"Sakura, what's with you? You've been in a bad mood the entire day and now you get up early. You hardly ever get up in time, unless I go and wake you up. Have you argued with one of your friends?"

Sakura mumbled something hardly audible.

"What?" Cecilia repeated, cocking her eyebrow further.

"I said, 'no'", she muttered. Cecilia sighed. She didn't believe her niece, but if she really was that secretive about it, then better leave it to be.

---

Sasuke walked in the corridor towards his locker, stalked by fangirls as always, when he caught sight of Sakura. Putting on a smirk, he walked towards her, but -

"Sasuke-kun! What do you think you're doing?" a girl who looked very much like Ino whined as she quickly stopped him in his tracks as she stood right in front of him. Before he realized what was happening, his entire fanclub had encircled him, and he found no way out. _Shit. _

"I'm walking towards my locker", he replied, irritated.

"But Sakura is there!"

"So?"

"You two will talk! We won't let you to. We're jealous!" a girl pouted.

"Yeah! She doesn't deserve your attention!" another one added.

"Let me get out of here!" he hissed and tried to get out of the crowd, but the girls only came closer.

"Ooh! Sasuke-kun _touched _me!" a fangirl squealed.

"And me!"

"And me!"

Sasuke looked at Sakura desperately, just to find her giving him an icy glare, before turning her head and walking away.

---

"Sakura? Sakura! Sakura!"

"Ah? Nani?" Sakura stared at Temari, who raised an eyebrow.

"What's with you, Sakura? You seem so distant. I was just talking about what we should do about Tenten."

"I don't know." Sakura shrugged. "I've absolutely no idea. But if I can think of one, I'll tell you."

"You seem kind of… dozed off. What's up?"

"Uh, nothing."

"Nothing? Yeah right", Temari remarked sarcastically. "C'mon, tell me. You know you can trust me."

"And me too!" Naruto grinned.

"And me", Hinata smiled shyly.

"No, it's nothing, I promise", Sakura said, forcing herself to smile.

"Hi, guys", Neji said darkly as he flopped down on a chair next to Temari's. "What's up?"

"Nothing, except that Sakura won't tell us what's wrong with her", Temari sighed. "And you?"

"Nothing either. Tenten refuses to listen to me."

As Sakura saw Sasuke heading their way, but was stopped by fangirls, she stood up abruptly. "Uh, guys, I've gotta go to the library. I just remembered I had to get a book for my aunt", she lied and went for the exit.

"What's up with her?" Temari frowned. "She's so weird today."

"Y-yeah", Hinata stammered. "M-maybe… sh-she argued w-with S-S-Sasuke-kun?"

"That teme! I really can't stand him", Naruto snorted. "Any idea what we should do, guys?"

"Nope. Not at all", Neji replied sadly.

---

"Sakura?" Tenten looked up from her book as she saw the pink-haired girl sit down in front of her. "If you're going to convince me not to go away, I'm not going to answer."

"No, it's not that." Sakura sighed. "I just wanted to accompany you." She did a gesture at her book, _Goodnight Mister Tom _by Michelle Magorian.

"Really?" Tenten's eyebrow perked up. "I never knew you liked to read during breaks. I sure know you love reading, but didn't you say it was at home?"

"Hai… but I just felt for doing it today…"

"Sakura? Is there something wrong?" Tenten looked pitifully at her friend. She wasn't exactly in the mood of hearing about others' problems, but at the moment she really felt sorry for Sakura. The joyful nature of hers seemed gone.

"Ah? No…", Sakura lied as she tried to read, without succeeding. Her mind was just concentrating on Sasuke. _Damn that Sasuke anyway! He's just a… feeling-less bastard!_

But then images of their night at Versailles, how she had woken up in his arms, appeared, and when he carried her home to his mansion, how he rescued her from James…

_He… he was just playing around! she tried to convince herself._

**_No. You know he wasn't, Outer. _**

_He was! Why else did he say we weren't friends?_

**_Why are you so concerned about it anyway? It wasn't like you were in love with him or something. _**

_Yeah, I know… _Sakura sighed inwardly_. I don't know why I care. But I do. I do… a lot… _

**_He WAS special, I admit it. But still… he's just a boy, right? And it wasn't like you – we – had a crush on him anyway… _**

_Mm. That's true. _

"Sakura?"

"Ne?" Sakura looked up in surprise to saw Tenten staring at her.

"Is it about Sasuke?"

"What?"

"Whatever you're so depressed about."

"Uh… no", she lied again.

"You're lying."

"I'm not."

"You are."

"Not."

"Are."

"Not."

"Are."

"Not."

"ARE!"

"NOT!"

The two girls giggled, before sighing deeply again.

---

"I love you!"

"I love you too!"

The fangirls screeched as they crowded around Sasuke. Sasuke groaned loudly. They had followed him everywhere all day, and though he had desperately tried to reach Sakura a few hundred times, he had failed because of their presence.

"Sasuke-kun, I love you!"

"I love you the more!"

Sasuke struggled towards Sakura, but they immediately stood in his way.

"And where do you think you're going, Sasuke-kun?" the Ino-like girl wailed as she threw her arms around his neck. Sasuke tried to push her off, but more fangirls pounced him.

"LET GO OF ME!" he yelled and threw them off angrily.

"Sasuke-kun! Don't be so violent!" a fangirl sobbed as she threw her tiny hands around his legs to stop him from going away.

"You're annoying!" he snarled and kicked her off.

"Stop it, Sasuke!"

Sasuke turned around at the source of the voice, ready to find another disturbing fangirl, but instead saw a glaring Temari.

"What?" he snapped at her.

"You're hurting them", she scolded. "Stop it."

"They're annoying!"

"Leave him alone now, girls", she said with a deadly calm to the fangirls. Some pouted and went away, but some stayed and glared back.

"You don't own Sasuke-kun! You've no right to –", one began but was interrupted by Temari standing in front of her grabbing hold of her collar.

"If you don't shut up now, I'll lose my temper and make sure that your pretty little Calvin Klein shirt will be ruined", she grinned mischievously in the girl's face before letting go of her collar. The girl sulked and walked away with the rest of the fanclub, but the Ino-like girl remained.

"I want to listen!" she whined. "Sasuke-kun is _my_ boyfriend!"

"No, I'm not", Sasuke growled.

"Ino…", Temari started warningly.

"I'm not Ino! And don't be so mean!"

"Fine." Temari turned back to Sasuke. "What've you done to Sakura?"

Sasuke blinked, dumbfounded. "What?"

"I asked what you did to Sakura. I know you've done something to her. She acts all weird, and whenever your name is mentioned, she's acting even weirder."

"I haven't done anything."

"Yes, you have! What did you say when she asked you yesterday if you could help us? I know she's lying when she said you've just said you didn't want to do us a favor!"

Sasuke just stared blankly at Temari, but his inner self was shocked she had lied to her friends about what he had said. "She said so? Well, it's true."

"No! There's something wrong!" Temari snapped and stomped on the ground out of rage.

The Ino-like girl just sat on the ground and looked confounded. "What're you talking about?"

"She's not acting normal!" Temari continued, ignoring "Ino". "And it's all your fault, Sasuke! You've said something or done something! You _must_ have!"

"I have. How so?"

"What? What have you done?" Temari hissed threateningly.

"Not anything special", he responded uncomfortably.

"And you've _got_ to help us! If you're still our friend, then you should! Tenten has already packed her bags, according to Sakura! So **_hurry up_ **and help us NOW!"

There it came again. Sasuke winced as he remembered that Sakura said exactly the same thing yesterday, just lesser frustratingly. "…"

As Sasuke didn't even open his mouth to speak, Temari swore under her breath and stomped away, Sasuke watching her retreating back. _If we're still friends…_

---

"Hi, Sakura!" Ino beamed as she sat down beside the pink-haired girl in the library.

"Eh? Ino?" Sakura looked astounded at the blonde's sudden appearance. "Hi…?"

"How're you?" she asked cheerfully.

"Uh… I'm fine…", Sakura responded unsurely. "What about you?"

"I feel great! You know, Shikamaru just asked me out! I'm really happy, you know…"

"So you've given up on Sasuke?" Sakura smiled teasingly.

"Yeah, you can have him", Ino replied casually.

"I don't… want to", Sakura answered, hardly audible.

"What? You don't…_ want_ to?"

"Yeah." Sakura flipped a page, avoiding Ino's stare.

"Have you two… argued or something?"

"No… I just… realized something."

"Like what?"

"…"

"Sakura…?"

"That we're not friends."

"Eh!" Ino looked stunned.

"Yeah. We're not friends. We've never been."

"You're kidding me. He has never treated any girl this way. Except…" She hesitated, and Sakura looked up from her book. "… a girl who used to be in his and Naruto's team…"

"I see. Maybe he sees me as… her."

"No, he doesn't."

"Has he said so?"

"No, but…"

"I'm sorry, Ino. But I'm in a hurry", Sakura interrupted her and arose from her chair. "I must go… ja!"

Sakura felt tears stinging in her eyes as she quickly walked away from the library. What she didn't know was that Sasuke had overheard everything from behind the bookshelf behind the table.

---

"Teme? You ask _me _of a favor? You sure you haven't got a fever?"

Naruto stared in disbelief at his best friend and rival, the ice prince Uchiha Sasuke who was leaning against the locker next to Naruto's.

"Yes, I'm sure I don't have one", Sasuke snapped irritably. "I'm perfectly fine."

"Then why do you ask me if I can help_ you_? I thought you said you never needed help?"

"Okay, but now I need some."

"Really?" Naruto began to laugh. "That's a first! Let's see. What do you want? Advice about Sakura-chan so you two can get together?" he teased jokingly.

"Yes, actually", Sasuke muttered through clenched teeth. "Not so we can get together, but…"

"What?" Naruto gaped at him in pure shock.

"I need advice", Sasuke said through gritted teeth.

"What!"

"I need advice."

"WHAT!"

"Do I need to repeat myself!" Sasuke snarled as he glared at Naruto.

"OK… no… I just thought you were… joking", Naruto said, still shocked. "Uh… okay. What do you want advice about?"

"Sakura. She seems a bit mad… with me."

"We've noticed", Naruto remarked. "Did you two have a row?"

"Not exactly, but…" Sasuke felt doubt arising. Should he really tell the dobe? Sure, Naruto was his best friend, but…

"What happened when she asked you about helping us, anyway?"

"How did you know about that?" Sasuke asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Uh, well… we were deciding who was going to ask you about it and she got the note that said 'You do it'."

"What note?"

"Well, uh… Temari kind of parted a paper in four pieces and on one she wrote 'You do it' and Sakura-chan got it."

Sasuke groaned. "So _that_ was why she asked me."

"What? What happened?"

"Well, uh… I asked her why she thought I would do it, and she said that if 'we're friends, you should' or something like that, and I wondered what made her think we were friends."

Naruto slapped his forehead. "You teme!"

"What? It's a fully normal question – why does she think we're friends?"

"Don't you get it? She thought you said you weren't!"

"But we aren't."

"You're really dumb, aren't you?" Naruto said sarcastically.

"Dobe...", Sasuke hissed warningly.

"OK, I get it. But you're really a beginner with girls, aren't you? And I thought you'd learnt something from Cindy –" Naruto stopped when he saw Sasuke's stern face, and instead swiftly added: "I mean, you shouldn't say such things to girls. And you are friends with Sakura-chan, whether or not you want to deny it. Everyone can see it. It's so obvious."

"OK, so what should I do now?"

Naruto shrugged. "It depends. Do you reckon you guys are friends, then?"

"Well… I guess so."

"Then you just apologize."

"How?"

Naruto grinned mischievously. "I just came up with a great idea…"

**Tsukiko: **-gasp- Oh my god! Sasuke-kun, you bastard!  
**Inner Tsukiko & Sasuke: **HEY!  
**Tsukiko: **Just kidding. –grin- So… what to do now, what to do now? Seems like Naruto has an idea there!  
**Naruto: **'Course! I rock, man! –pose-

**Sasuke: **-raise one of his eyebrows- You suck.  
**Tsukiko: **Well, anyway… see ya in next chapter, which is published July 17th! (Oh no, school is beginning soon! T.T)

**Reviews Corner **(75 reviews left, people, and then we're at 200! BANZAI!)

Crazy Gal42: Poor you e.e School starts for me next Monday...

frienz4ever: Well, there you've your answer ;)

Zuan: Yeah, I know, it happens to me too! XD Once I was trying to talk to my mom and read at the same time, I ended up reading something really weird, don't remember what... o.O Thanks!

everlasting memories: Thanks :) Yeah, poor Tenten... / Stupid Neji! If he could at least get what's going on...

hushhushyou: Mwahahah, yes, I am evil XD Thanks, and well, I've kind of Writer's Block atm but luckily enough entirely. :P

Shy-Princess: Thanks! x3

nickygirl: Thanks :3

LiViN2DiE: Thanks, I will :D

Sharingan508: Thanks, and I hope this chapter was long enough XD Originally, this chapter and the previous chapter was going to be the same, but I wanted to be a bit evil (sorry ;P) and leave you guys with a cliffhanger... XDD

Kiete: Nyahahaha... am I not evil? XD Thanks anyway ;P

silverkage-chan: Yeah, I wanted to have some KakaKure in the Versailles chapter, but it ended up being minor NejiTen, minor NaruHina and SasuSaku fluff instead with no KakaKure at all o.x Yeah, stupid Sasuke-kun! XD

Huactaw: Thanks:D Whaaaat? September 1st! Oh my god, you're so lucky!

Green Animelover: Thanks! ;)

**You roxxors everyone's soxxors, minna! XD (Okay, even if not everyone IS wearing socks... but you still rock!) I looove you all! Please keep on reviewing!**

**_Sneak Preview of Next Chapter: Plans!  
_**

"'Course not! They're planning to go to Gabrielle's party or something like that. Anyway, I said I just had _two _unused tickets, didn't I?"

"Okay, then I'll come." Tenten strained her lips to smile.

"How 'bout you, Sakura? Busy?" Ino tilted her head innocently.

"Yeah, actually. I've got some plans for tomorrow", Sakura replied. "Gomen, Ino."

**Fanfiction News! **

This Is (Not) My First Time: STILL working on the twenty-fifth chapter. o.x I know I've been doing it a while, but it's going to be a long chapter and I've Writer's Block (sorta, I'm writing much slower but I'm still writing). Waiting for HeartAngel's response about the bonus chapter, and on the 200th reviewer (whoever that might be! ;P). Also, I've decided that I might take requests for bonus chapters further on in the story, but not at the moment.

Don't Forget Me: Um... major Writer's Block. I've no idea whatsoever how to begin, and I haven't even been able to rewatch the series I've based the story on yet.

Forbidden Memories: Prologue and first chapter are done. Working on second chapter and the story's plot. Everything is going well here ;)

Dance with Me: P-R-O-B-L-E-M! I don't have Writer's Block, but I need to learn a bit more about different dance styles before I begin with this one... besides, I need my sister's friend's help STILL and she's so busy because she's this really busy dance teacher and all...

Princess Sakura: Eh, a bit of Writer's Block, besides, I need to edit the story's plot a little because it's getting a bit boring.

My Catastrophic Birthday: ... Working on the fourth chapter.

The Curse of OOCness: First chapter is still under construction...

Another Me: A little bit of Writer's Block, not that much, though.

Miscellaneous fanfics: I've published the songfic and oneshot "Thank You" (Faith Hill's "There You'll Be" as the song), and I'm trying to figure out what I'm going to write in honor of Temari's birthday (August 23rd), probably a ShikaTema parody or something (omg, my first ShikaTema fic! XD)... with maybe some SasuSaku in it (absolute rule in my fics: always have some SasuSaku in it. Almost always anyway.)...

**(A/N: If you find errors such as words pasted together likethis, sentences that are in bold or italics when they shouldn't be or sentences that are repeated even though they're not supposed to, please tell me. This happens a lot out of some unknown reason, and it isn't because it was like that from the beginning - no, when I edit the chapters after uploading them, they get like that. I don't know why, maybe it's my dad's computer being weird. And also, do the symbols ' and ... look weird? Because on dad's computer, it does.)**


	14. Plans!

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Naruto.

**Tsukiko: **And btw, is being weird for me. I can't upload documents, instead I'll have to export current chapters and edit them by inserting the new chapter in them instead. e.e Besides, I can't even use the add-ruler-thing.

---

♥ Chapter XIV: Plans! ♥  
---

"Ohayou, Temari", Sakura greeted tiredly as she saw the blonde at her locker.

"Ohayou, Sakura", responded Temari, stressed. "Um… how's it going?"

"Pretty fine, I guess", Sakura replied, but just then Gaara passed.

"Oh, there's my bro! Um… ja ne, Sakura!" Temari quickly said as she ran off. Sakura frowned.

"What's with her…?" she mumbled as she opened her locker and pulled out some books.

---

"Oh my god, there's Sakura coming… and we haven't even made up a plan yet…", Ino murmured to the others where they sat.

"And Tenten is over there… what the hell are we supposed to do?" muttered Naruto. "C'mon, Shika, think, think, think!"

"Why am I the only one who's supposed to think?" Shikamaru hissed. "Hinata, you go and distract her."

"O-okay", stuttered Hinata and walked over to Sakura. "E-e-eh… o-ohay-you, S-S-Sakura!"

"Ohayou…?" Sakura answered, raising an eyebrow. "C'mon, let's walk over to the others!"

"Um, no!" Hinata exclaimed, making Sakura stop and raise her eyebrow even more. "Eh… I mean… uh… let's go and sit with Tenten! Eh he he…"

"Okay…" Sakura suddenly caught sight of some familiar black chicken hair among the others. "Yeah, let's go and sit with Tenten."

Sighing out of relief, Hinata led her to the reading fighting mistress who looked very much displeased, stealing glances now and then from the rest of the gang where Gabrielle was clinging tightly to the blushing Neji's arm.

"I think I just came up with something", Sasuke mumbled to the others. He told them the idea. "Ino, you do it."

"Why me?" Ino whined. "Why can't Shika-chan do it?"

"I'm **_not _**Shika-chan!" Shikamaru protested, his cheeks slightly red.

"Oh, but you're _my _Shika-chan", Ino grinned.

"Shika-chan…", Sasuke smirked.

"Uchiha, you better shut up if you don't want me to –"

"Do what? Beat me up?" Sasuke smirked even more.

" – stop co-working with you."

"OK, fine", Sasuke muttered, knowing all too well that Shikamaru's brain was the best of them all. "Temari must go and eat lunch with her boyfriend today, and Hinata isn't all too convincing –"

"Hey, don't insult Hinata!" Naruto said hotly.

" – so you do the job, Ino."

"Hikari can do it", Ino said stubbornly.

"I don't intend to leave such important matters in that girl's hands."

"Hey! Kari-chan is our friend!" Naruto answered. "Besides, it was me who came up with this great idea, so you should listen to _me_!"

"Whatever." Sasuke rolled his eyes. "She's so busy with that bastard anyway, so you do it, Ino. And yeah, for being a total usuratonkachi, you're pretty smart, dobe, but that still doesn't change the fact that _I_'m smarter than you. And more popular."

"More popular? Says who?" replied Naruto and crossed his arms.

"Well, do you've a fanclub?" Sasuke asked sarcastically. Naruto just sulked, but the others just grinned.

---

During the rest of the day, Sakura spent her time with Tenten – the others were acting weird, she noticed – they kept running away, urging her to go and sit with Tenten. Since Sakura didn't have anything against being with Tenten, she did so, but she still wondered what they were up to.

"Hey, Sakura… don't you think the others are acting weird?" Tenten muttered as they sat down by a table in the cafeteria.

"Yeah…" Sakura raised an eyebrow. "I wonder if they're not planning something…"

"Like making me stay", Tenten sighed. "Don't you guys ever give up on that kind of stuff? I'm going, and that's final."

"But, Tenten…!" Sakura looked distressed. "We'll miss you so much! Can't you stay? Please?"

"Sakura…" Tenten heaved another sigh. "You know I can't."

"But why?"

"Well…"

"Is it because of us?"

"No…"

"Is it because of Neji? Tenten, we all know you and Neji are the best of friends, but you've been so… cold to him lately… has something happened?"

Tenten felt the urge to say yes, but resisted it. "No. He's just a big bastard. And pervert."

"Oh, it's because of Gabrielle, right?"

"No, it's not!" Tenten's voice arose, but she calmed it again. "How about you, Sakura? You seem pretty down too."

"Well… it's because of your… departure", Sakura responded, but Tenten saw in her eyes that she was lying.

"It's because of Sasuke, isn't it?" Tenten asked gravely.

"No, it's not."

"Then why –"

They were unexpectedly interrupted by Ino's arrival. The blonde wore a broad grin on her face.

"Hi, guys!" she greeted them joyfully as she sat down by their table too.

"Hi, Ino", Tenten replied emotionlessly.

"Hi", Sakura chimed in, trying to smile.

"Are you two free tomorrow evening?" Ino chirped. "I've got two unused movies tickets, see – Freya and Tara couldn't go. But actually, I don't want to go with them anyway, since I'm no longer president of SUFC." She shrugged. "So what do you think?"

"Yeah, I'm not up to anything anyway. But Neji and the others won't be there, right?" Tenten asked suspiciously.

"'Course not! They're planning to go to Gabrielle's party or something like that. Anyway, I said I just had _two _unused tickets, didn't I?"

"Okay, then I'll come." Tenten strained her lips to smile.

"How 'bout you, Sakura? Busy?" Ino tilted her head innocently.

"Yeah, actually. I've got some plans for tomorrow", Sakura replied. "Gomen, Ino."

"What?" Ino dropped her jaw. "You're… busy? But you must come, Sakura! It's a super-great movie!"

"Gomen nasai, Ino… but I've a date with James."

Ino stared at her as though she was an alien.

**Tsukiko: **AND... -drumroll- THE PLAN... -drumroll- FAILED! –drumroll dies-

**Sasuke: **You're just as lame as Naruto.

**Tsukiko: **Do you want your plan to succeed, Sasuke-_kun_?  
**Sasuke: **Hn... whatever.  
**Tsukiko: **-smiles "innocently"- Well, anyway, the next chapter is published August 20th (oh noes, a day before school starts! -runs around in circles, panicking-), so see you then! And sorry for the short chapter... but the next chapter is coming soon, so eh... don't worry, be happy? XD;

**Reviews Corner **(Oh my god, 61 reviews left! Then we're at 200 reviews! HUZZAH!)

Shy-Princess: I agree with you, even though I'm a Sasuke fan... well, not this much in this fanfic, but still... XD Thanks, anyway :D

dontconfuseme: Thanks :)

rebel-girl: Yeah, idiotic Sasuke... hmm, maybe, maybe not. Cindy is a common name, ne?

starlight lily: Thanks:D I love cliffhangers... well, not in other stories, but to write cliffhangers because I'm just plain evil XDD I'm a cliffhanger-ish person XP

silverkage-chan: Yeah, sorry about that ;.; But I was afraid the chapter would get a bit too long... yup, hopefully Naruto's plan will work. XD If he can come up with a new one, that is. XP

nickygirl: Thanks :D

Zuan: Thanks ;P Sorry to hear about that... o.x Actually this event was based on one of the things I fear the most, but I think that fear has been blown away now, because "my" "Sasuke" wasn't that much of a jerk as the "real" Sasuke is in this story... ;P

Blackeismybaby: Heheh XP Thanks ;)

hushhushyou: I'm glad that you liked it ;P Nah, originally the "Ino-lookalike" was Ino herself, but then I decided to change my plans and make ShikaIno happen a bit earlier than expected (because at first, ShikaIno was supposed to just have some minor fluff and then actually become real later on), so it ended up being an OC of mine, so no, I don't think she'll reappear... or maybe she will, come to think of it XD But she's just a tiny minor character so she isn't that important.

Crazy Gal42: Ugh, I know exactly how that feels o.x I hate going to school again... and besides, I'm going to have one of the infamous teachers in cooking classes, and I suck at cooking, so I'm NOT looking forward to begin with cooking classes, like all my other friends x.x But my friends are all very nice so I'm longing to see them again :)

frienz4ever: Yeah, Sasuke is being really stupid for being a genius. XD And I will :D

HeartAngel: Yay for victory dances! XD -cough- Anyway... it's okay, you've lots of time anyway XD I'm going to get started on your request as soon as I'm done with the current chapter... :D Yeah, poor Sakura-chan... :( And you've problems with your friends? I'm sorry to hear that... and oh, if Naruto's plan works, then I bet Tenten and Sakura will be much happier ;) And thanks for the request! x3

everlasting memories: Oops, yeah, I mean August 17th... wish it was July 17th, though. XD Haha, I'm glad that you like it XP Let's just hope Naruto's idea works...

Green Animelover: Thanks ;)

**Thanks for all the reviews! THANKS THANKS THAAAANKS! You don't know how glad I am each time when I see a new one, sometimes I just feel so tired and so stressed (ugh, school is beginning, y'know?) and then I just see all the new reviews and feel happy again :D So keep on reviewing!**

**_Sneak Preview of Next Chapter: The Date Disaster_**

_Sakura snuggled on James' shoulder, making him smirk. So now would be the moment, eh? He removed her head from his shoulder, cupped it with his hands, and leaned closer… and closer…_

**Fanfiction News! **

This Is Not My First Time: ARGH, I'm STILL working on the twenty-fifth chapter, but I've written about two more sentences now... this is damn frustrating, I know what to write but I don't know how to write it without sounding uninteresting o.x And oh, I'm also planning the chapter that's HeartAngel's request, and what it's about and which couple it's dedicated to is a secret :3

Don't Forget Me: Um... major Writer's Block STILL.

Forbidden Memories: Working on second chapter.

Dance with Me: Going pretty fine... but I still need to learn more about dance styles..

Princess Sakura: I'm stuck. Nuff said.

My Catastrophic Birthday: ... Still working on the fourth chapter. XD Orochi going shopping... LMAO.

The Curse of OOCness: First chapter is getting longer and longer... x.x And the plot needs to be edited.

Another Me: Working on the second chapter, prologue released soon :)

Miscellaneous fanfics: Due to a request by my friend who has recently started fanfics (and whom refuses to tell me his name, TELL ME NOW GODDAMMIT! XD And yes, I haven't forgotten we're penpals) I've started with a new fanfic which is actually an InoShikaTema (yeah, I'm being evil, I know you requested ShikaTema but I love ShikaIno X3) fic, with Shakespeare's "A Midsummer Night's Dream" in it :P But I want to write some fic with Shino in it... T.T

**(A/N: If you find errors such as words pasted together likethis, sentences that are in bold or italics when they shouldn't be or sentences that are repeated even though they're not supposed to, please tell me. This happens a lot out of some unknown reason, and it isn't because it was like that from the beginning - no, when I edit the chapters after uploading them, they get like that. I don't know why, maybe it's my dad's computer being weird. And also, do the symbols ' and ... look weird? Because on dad's computer, it does.)**


	15. The Date Disaster

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Naruto.

---

♥ Chapter XIV: The Date Disaster ♥  
---

"Say… what?"

Ino stared at her in disbelief.

"You're… dating the… _slug_?" she continued.

"Oh, don't talk about him like that, Ino", Sakura answered unhappily. "He asked me out, and I just couldn't say no."

"You're kidding, right?"

"No, I'm not."

"Sakura! He's a pervert!" Tenten cried out, startled.

"Tenten, I'm sure we misunderstood what he did. He's no pervert."

Tenten and Ino just stared.

---

"Sasuke-kun! Sasuke-kun!" Ino panted heavily as she reached the dark-haired boy.

"Ino", he merely said, wearing the same blank look as usual. "Have you asked?"

"Yeah, and it's a catastrophe!" Ino moaned. "You won't believe what happened!"

Sasuke raised an eyebrow. "Really? What?"

"She… she…"

"Well?"

"She has a date!"

Sasuke widened his eyes. "What?"

"A date… with James-teme!"

"With… with **_him_**!" Sasuke gritted his teeth and clenched his fists. "You say she's going on a date with that bastard?"

"Yeah, and she wasn't joking! We got Tenten along but not Sakura!"

"Oh, great…", Neji muttered beside Sasuke, for once not being stalked by Gabrielle.

---

"So what the hell are we supposed to do?" asked Temari in despair.

"We must stop their date, of course!" Naruto exclaimed. "Sakura-chan can't date such a bastard!"

"I agree", Sasuke muttered fiercely. Everybody's head turned to him in surprise.

"We must get her _there _before the date ends", he continued.

"_Must_?" Shikamaru repeated in doubt. "Why do we _have to _get her _there_?"

"Because…" Sasuke searched his mind for a reason, and when he couldn't find one he frowned. "Just because, dammit!" He paused. "And… because she was the one who came up with the idea, to begin with", he added.

"Okay, so who agrees to destroy her date?" Ino asked eagerly. Everybody raised a hand except Hinata, who blushed and stammered:

"I-I-I d-don't k-know if it-it's a-a-a g-good i-i-idea… S-S-Sakura-chan w-will be u-u-unhappy, r-right?"

"So who's going along?" Temari wondered.

"Me", Naruto and Sasuke in chorus. Temari raised an eyebrow inwardly at Sasuke's reaction – he looked kind of pissed off.

"Okay, Shikamaru, you too", she grinned evilly.

"What?" Shikamaru blinked in surprise. "Why?"

"Because you've got the brain. Right, Ino?" Temari smiled at his girlfriend, whom nodded with the same smirk.

"How troublesome", Shikamaru muttered. "But okay then."

---

Sakura sighed and leaned against the pole in the middle of the street, waiting for James' arrival. Her bubblegum-colored hair was neatly put into a horsetail, and she was wearing a red, tight top that looked more like a vest which ended right above her navel, and a pair of white, long pants along with a pair of red sandals.

_Somehow I wished I had said no to the date… but, hey, you never know, the date might be fun_, she told herself, but in her mind she wondered if she really believed what she just had said. The fact that she had for once said yes to James when she had asked her out was almost as unbelievable as what she had just said…

**_Flashback. _**

****

_"Sakura, my tenshi no ai", James said seductively. _**(A/N: Tenshi no ai, or ai no tenshi? It's Love Angel, anyhow.)**_"Will you go out with me tomorrow afternoon?"_

"Hi, James", she replied casually, with a hint of sadness in her voice as she opened her locker.

"We can first go to the movies, then we can dine at a luxurious restaurant my dad owns! C'mon, don't be shy, Sakura. I'm sure **he** won't have anything against it", he whispered in her ear. Sakura flinched at the mention of Sasuke.

"… OK, then", she said at last, trying hard to smile.

"Thank you, my cherry blossom!" he exclaimed. "I'll make sure you won't regret it! Let's meet at Champs-Elysées _5 p.m.__, then I'll take you to the cinema." _**(A/N: Is there a cinema at Champs-Elysées? I can't remember seeing one when I was there, but it must be one there, right?)**__

**End Flashback. **

****

"My beloved cherry blossom! I'm so grateful to see you here today!"

James had arrived, looking even handsomer than normal. Sakura tried to appreciate his looks, but whenever she looked at him she kept thinking of a gorilla.

"Hi, James." She forced herself to smile, but was pretty much surprised when James pulled her into a passionate embrace, which made her blush…

_I've never been this close to a guy before, except Don… and… Sasuke…_, she thought.

---

Sitting in a café just next to them, Sasuke glared at the scene with much rage.

"I can't believe that teme just hugged her", he muttered.

"Yeah, and Sakura-chan _blushed_, too!" Naruto commented, upset.

"What's the deal? All girls do that if a guy hugs them", Shikamaru said, shrugging.

"But it's _James_-teme who's hugging her, not just any guy", Naruto replied with a frown. "I'd even have preferred that Sasuke-teme hugged her than _James_."

_Why the hell is she blushing? She's not supposed to blush! _Sasuke thought as he clenched his fist.

"Hey, hey, Sasuke, what the hell is wrong with you? You look like you want to kill someone", said Shikamaru, arching an eyebrow.

"Nothing", Sasuke muttered, whose glare intensified when he saw James take her hand and Sakura blush even more. _WHAT THE…! WHY THE HELL IS SHE BLUSHING? LET GO OF HER HAND, BASTARD!_

"Jealous?" Naruto grinned teasingly as he saw Sasuke's murderous glare.

"No", Sasuke snapped, but deep inside he felt a tinge of… yeah, what? Envy? _Am I jealous? Why? WHAT THE…! HE'S HUGGING HER AGAIN! _

---

"Ta-dah! What do you think? Tickets to _Pride and Prejudice_", James grinned. **(A/N: Eh… Pride and Prejudice is not aired on the movies anymore, is it? But I can't think of any new movies!) **

"Um… great, James", she commented, struggling with herself to sound happy.

"C'mon, let's buy some popcorn and Coke!" he beamed and started to drag her hand towards the counter where they sold snacks.

---

"_Pride and Prejudice_?" The woman at the counter just a few meters away frowned. "I'm sorry, misters, but we don't have any more tickets. We have three tickets left, but they're reserved."

"You mean all seats are occupied?" Naruto asked in desperation.

"Well… not really, but we were planning on not occupying all seats in case some VIPs wanted to have them –"

"_Mademoiselle_", Sasuke hissed through gritted teeth, "Do you know who I am?"

"No, I don't", the woman said, apparently amused.

"I'm Uchiha Sasuke. Do you understand what that means? I own this freakin' cinema and can close it whenever I want to, and most important of all, I can _fire _you for not obeying my orders." His eyes glowered. "I'd like to know where Haruno Sakura sits, _please_."

The woman paled. "U-U-Uchiha-sama? G-g-gomen n-nasai! G-gomen!" She quickly turned to a computer behind her. **(A/N: I know NOTHING about cinemas. XD I've not been to a cinema for 1-2 years, so I don't really know how this works. Let's assume that James bought the tickets via Internet and that you had to show your names and yadda yadda, so that's how she can see where Sakura sits.) **"Uh… Haruno Sakura, you said?"

"Yes."

"Row 15, seat 2."

"Any vacant seats close to her seat?" Shikamaru wanted to know.

"Um… yes. Actually there're exactly three vacant seats right behind her, row 16, seat 1, 2 and 3." She smiled nervously. "Would you like those seats, sir? It's… free."

"Yes, thank you." She hurriedly gave them three tickets that the computer printed out, and shoved them into Sasuke's hands. "Here. Eh… thank you!"

"Thanks", Sasuke said dryly with a smirk before the three of them began to stalk Sakura and James again.

---

Sakura yawned. Half of the movie had already gone past, and she felt already sleepy. It was such a boring movie – she had seen much better – and sure, she liked Keira Knightley, but the movie was still boring.

James watched her with a little smile. A few more minutes, and…

Exactly as he expected. Sakura had dozed off, her head resting peacefully on his shoulder. He turned his attention to the movie screen again, waiting to see whether or not she'd wake up…

---

"What the hell, Sakura fell asleep!" Naruto hissed to Sasuke.

"Shut up, dobe!" he hissed back and hit him on the head. Naruto stifled a 'ouch' and rubbed his head while glaring at Sasuke. Shikamaru sighed, before his head perked up again.

"Hey! Look what they're doing!" he whispered and tugged at Naruto's sleeve.

---

Sakura snuggled on James' shoulder, making him smirk. So now would be the moment, eh? He removed her head from his shoulder, cupped it with his hands, and leaned closer… and closer…

_No one to tell us no, or where to go, I'm in a whole new world with you…_, he sang inwardly.

**Tsukiko: **Nooooooooooooooooo! Tomorrow I'm going to school again! -sobs-  
**Inner Tsukiko: **Oh, how horrible for you. -rolls her eyes- Sheesh. Grow up, goddammit.  
**Tsukiko: **Hey! Just because you get to be on everyday since you just exist here and you've 24/7 access to fanfics...  
**Inner Tsukiko: **That's SO not true. I mean, I only live here because I have to. YOU were the one who created me. And thanks to you, I'm trapped inside a black screen when you're not on **Tsukiko: **Whatever. Next chapter is published August 23rd (no, that's two days before my sister goes to Brazil! And eight days before my mom goes to China! I'm stuck in the same house as my dad for three weeks! Nooooooooooooooooooo! (it's not that I dislike him or something, but me and my dad have hard time getting along since we both have bad attitudes and tempers)...).

**Reviews Corner **(42 reviews to go! Woot!)

dontconfuseme: I will ;P And yeah... I wonder what Sasuke & co will do now? He, he...

hushhushyou: Thanks XD; And sorry for the short chapters, some of them get really short because I'm being evil and leaving you guys confused with a cliffhanger... XP

Kawaii IceCream: I will, and thanks ;P

nickygirl: Uh-oh... turns out she's not lying... XD I wonder what the guys will do now... (-cough-I know already-cough-) And thanks :D

AznSnostuff: Thanks, and yeah... it's kind of incredible, I'd never have done it myself... x.x (Geez, had it been me, I'd have beaten James to a bloody pulp, but then again, I'm not that strong, I just have horribly sharp fingernails no matter how short and harmless-looking I make them... XD So hmm, let me see... I'd have pinched and clawed James to a bloody pulp if I had been Sakura. Sounds pretty good, I wonder if I should make an appearance in one of those bonus chapters? XDD)

MistressBlossom: Yeah, I will XD; And I'm sorry I left you guys with a cliffhanger AGAIN, but I'm very cliffhanger-ish. :P

Blackieismybaby: Thanks :)

werwolfofkonoha: I update every three days, I hope that's a short time enough for you? ;P Anyhow, thanks :D

rebel-girl: Has she? XD I feel pretty sorry for Sakura... or maybe not... had it been me, I'd have beaten - uh, pinched and clawed - James to a bloody pulp... -mutters about possible appearance in bonus chapters-

starlight lily: I'm still in junior high (meh, I say high school because people always go, "naaw how cute, you're so little" just because I'm in eighth grade and am supposed to be in seventh x.x I'm NOT _that _little!), but I share your pain as well T.T I don't know about high school pupils here where I live... o.O My sister used to love high school because all her friends were awesome and she had this awesome high school life, but I don't have any friends who attend high school so I don't know... but I guess it's pretty tough for them, too x.x

Zuan: Thanks :D

everlasting memories: Thanks XD And sorry for the cliffie, I'm a cliffhanger-ish person... that's the way I am! XD (Damn, I have that song stuck in my head, "Cause I am, whatever you say I am, if I wasn't, then why would I say am, on the paper, the news everyday I am... the radio won't even play my jam, 'cause I am, whatever you say I am, if I wasn't, then why would I say I am, on the paper, the news everyday I am... I don't know it's just the way I am". Shouldn't have listened to that damn song when I was mad... o.x Now I keep saying that sentence...)

Xinoria: Thanks:D I'm glad you like it ;)

silverkage-chan: Yeah, if Sasuke doesn't... then we all know what's going to happen to him, ne? -snickers evilly- **(Out of the Story Sasuke: **That was... way scary... o.O; What's going to happen to me anyway if I don't do as you tell me? **OOS Tsukiko: **Oh... you don't want to know... -snickers evilly again- **OOS Sasuke: **..; -sweatdrop-

Crazy Gal42: I wish you good luck as well and I hope that the rest of the school year (god, that sounds so long... x.x Year... year... _year_... -cries out of anguish-) will go well for you :D Well, Monday won't be such a horrible day since I'm just in school a couple of hours or so, and I get to meet all my friends and I just get to see my school scheme thingy whatever it's called, get my school calendar, a new pencil and eraser and that kinda thing XD Homeroom? Hmm, we don't have that here, I think... the most horrible teacher is probably the cooking class teacher (or should I say teachers, since both of them are infamous and pretty much disliked), I'm dreading the cooking classes (I suck at cooking!)

Akina Darkheart: Yup, I will :D

sasukerocks: Thanks :)

**You all know what I'm gonna say, but I'll say it anyway (that rhymes!); I love y'all! Keep on reviewing and good luck to anyone who's going back to school!**

**_Sneak Preview of Next Chapter: Disclosed_**

"I don't care, Sasuke!" she cried. "Whether or not I'm dating a pervert is my business! You're not my mom anyway, so why do you care?"

**Fanfiction News! **

This Is Not My First Time: Twenty-fifth chapter under construnction. I've problem with the NaruHina moment, and also, I'm thinking what the twenty-sixth chapter should be about...

Don't Forget Me: Um... major Writer's Block STILL.

Forbidden Memories: Working on second chapter STILL.

Dance with Me: Awesome! I'm going to begin on the prologue once my computer will work normally... I'm totally inspired by the dance shows going on at the festival here, and So You Think You Can Dance is an awesome inspiration source as well!

Princess Sakura: Crap, I'm stuck again.

My Catastrophic Birthday: I haven't worked this much on this chapter because I'm mainly focusing on Dance with Me and This Is Not My First Time (and moaning about going back to school and playing Chrono Trigger also, of course XD), but I'm also having problems about how Ayame's grandparents should look like...

The Curse of OOCness: Lousy plot, needs to be edited; lousy first chapter, needs to be fixed; lousy inspiration source, needs to get more inspiration; lousy everything. Needs to be thoroughly changed.

Another Me: Second chapter is currently being written, but my damn computer won't let me write properly...

Miscellaneous fanfics: InoShikaTema fic under full construnction. Also, I want to write a CT fanfic... but I don't know what it should be about... T.T

**(A/N: If you find errors such as words pasted together likethis, sentences that are in bold or italics when they shouldn't be or sentences that are repeated even though they're not supposed to, please tell me. This happens a lot out of some unknown reason, and it isn't because it was like that from the beginning - no, when I edit the chapters after uploading them, they get like that. I don't know why, maybe it's my dad's computer being weird. And also, do the symbols ' and ... look weird? Because on dad's computer, it does.)**


	16. Disclosed!

**Disclaimer: **I think we all know I'm not Kishi-san, so I don't own Naruto.

---

♥ Chapter XVI: Disclosed! ♥  
---

SMACK!

What was that? Two lips clashing together in one helluva kiss?

No.

How about two lips gently getting attached together with a sudden force?

Not that either.

"OUCH!"

So what was it?

Well, it was **_someone_**'s fist colliding with **_someone_**'s cheek.

And who were those 'someone's?

Of course it was Sasuke's fist who had just punched James right in the face.

"WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING, BASTARD?" bellowed Sasuke.

"Sasuke! Be quiet!" Shikamaru snapped as he realized everyone was looking at them.

"Huh? What's happening?" Sakura asked sleepily as she rubbed her eyes.

"I'M DOING WHATEVER I'M DOING, AND THAT'S NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS, BAKA!" James yelled back.

"YOU PERVERT! YOU TRIED TO KISS HER!" Sasuke roared.

"SO WHAT? SHE'S NOT YOUR GIRLFRIEND!"

"I DON'T CARE IF SHE ISN'T! YOU'RE A PERVERT ANYWAY!"

"Sasuke!" Sakura stared at him in disbelief. "What're you doing here?"

"YEAH! EXACTLY, WHAT'RE YOU DOING HERE?" James screamed, pointing a finger accusingly at Sasuke.

"Um, Sakura, we can explain", Naruto tried, and Sakura turned her head to Naruto and Shikamaru.

"Shikamaru! Naruto! What are you three doing here anyway?" Sakura looked flabbergasted at them.

A guard began marching towards them. "What the hell do you five think you're doing? OUT! OUT, I SAY! OUT!"

---

After some protesting, the five of them finally obediently went out, where Sasuke and James immediately began arguing before getting into a fight. Shikamaru and Naruto just smiled sheepishly while Sakura asked what they were doing there.

"Um, we were just… just…" Naruto searched for a convincing lie in his mind. "Um… Shikamaru, you say it!"

"Me? I don't know. How troublesome", he muttered and put his hands in his pockets. "I shouldn't have listened to Ino…"

"SICK PERVERT!"

"STUPID BAKA!"

"BASTARD!"

"HEY! THAT WAS WHAT I WAS GOING TO SAY!"

Sakura's attention was drawn towards the two fighters, and with all her might she shouted: "YOU TWO! STOP AT ONCE!"

Slowly, the two boys' fists were withdrawn. She glared at them. "James, you go. I need to talk with them."

"But… our date –"

"We can have one another time. I want to talk with them. Alone."

"But…"

"I. Want. To. Talk. Do you get it?" Sakura's eyes flashed dangerously, and at last James shrugged, blew a kiss and said flirtatiously:

"Alright, ja ne, my cherry blossom!"

"You…" Sasuke gritted his teeth, ready to charge at him again, when Sakura stopped him.

"And you", she said, her jade eyes looking threatening, "Owe me an excuse and explanation."

"Fine", Sasuke muttered.

"Ehehehe… I think I must go… to the ramen store! Yes, the ramen store!" Naruto excused himself and walked away.

"And I must meet… er… Ino!" Shikamaru quickly said, following Naruto. Sakura's glare returned to Sasuke after looking at them.

"Well, Sasuke? What the hell were you doing at _my _date and why the hell did you hit the one I was _dating_?"

"Hey, you don't own the cinema. I do, I can watch movies whenever I like to", Sasuke protested.

"Yeah, right, and that's why you went to see _Pride and Prejudice_?" Sakura snorted. "I wouldn't think so, _Sasuke_."

Sasuke winced. No –kun?

"But what the hell was I expecting? It wouldn't surprise me if you were there to ruin my date, wouldn't you?"

"But he's a pervert –"

"I don't care, Sasuke!" she cried. "Whether or not I'm dating a pervert is my business! You're not my _mom _anyway, so why do you care?"

"Hey –"

"We're not even _friends_, according to what you said!"

"Wait –"

"So it's my business whether or not I should date a pervert! And don't try to tell me you're doing me a _favor_, of what I can remember you don't even like doing favors!"

"Chotto matte –"

"When I asked you of a simple _favor _you said we weren't even friends!"

Sakura continued to drown Sasuke in a sea of scolding, and Sasuke realized that if he didn't stop her soon, she'd begin to cry and go away again… he'd have to do something _unexpected _to catch her attention…

"So leave me alone and let me date whoever I want to! And let my date do whatever he wants to –"

She came to a sudden halt in her speech when she found herself in Sasuke's embrace. She resisted the urge to hug him back, and was about to pull away when he said in her ear:

"Wait."

Something made her do so.

"Sakura… I didn't really mean what I said. I was just…" Sasuke trailed off, before continuing: "I was just being a bit confused… you know, Hinata, Tenten and Temari… we're not really _friends_, you know, we just are a gang. But you…" He paused a little and smirked. "… You are different. You're special. You're a friend. You're _my _friend."

"Oh? You say that to all other girls whose hearts you break?" she asked coolly.

"Believe me, Sakura."

"And how do I know if I can trust you?"

"Have I ever lied to you?"

"Well, apparently you've just had."

"It wasn't a lie. It was a misunderstanding." And something in Sakura told her it was true. Something made her believe him, because suddenly, she was sobbing quietly. Sasuke pulled away and looked at her, startled.

"Did I say something wrong again?" he asked, a bit upset.

"Sasuke-kun, you baka!" Sakura sobbed. "Why do you say things you don't mean and make others cry? Answer me, idiot! Stupid, stupid Sasuke-kun!"

Sasuke smiled, and hugged her again, this time more gently. "Gomen, Sakura. Forgive me?"

"… Maybe." She grinned teasingly, her tears stopping. "If you treat me to ramen."

"OK, fine, I will", Sasuke sighed. "Happy? Am I forgiven now?"

"Yes, you are!" she giggled. "Sasuke-kun… you really are stupid."

Sasuke grunted. "Why?"

"Because you're making girls cry by saying things you don't mean. Don't do that anymore, 'kay?" she smiled as she pulled free from his grasp. "Otherwise… people may misunderstand."

"Okay, then." Sasuke then eyed his wristwatch. "6 pm… we're going to be late if we don't hurry up! Damn, where's my limousine? Oh, there!" He grabbed her hand and began to drag her down the street.

"Eh? Late? For what?" Sakura asked, surprised.

"The party. You asked me a favor about throwing a party, didn't you? I've done so already. We tricked Tenten to my mansion, but if we don't hurry up we'll be late. I think Shikamaru and the dobe already are there."

"OK." Sakura smiled.

What they didn't know was that someone was watching them… someone with suntanned skin, brown hair, brown eyes and a Louis Vuitton wristwatch. And that someone did not look pleased.

**Tsukiko: **So, everyone... school has begun! T.T Okay, it wasn't that bad, I admit it. XD In fact, it was pretty okay, even though I haven't met the new teachers yet x.x I hope they're not that bad... we've got three new classmates and they seem pretty fine. But besides from that, I'm having quite a good time, even though I miss the summer holidays :P  
**Inner Tsukiko: **Hmph. Like anyone cares anyway.  
**Tsukiko: **Heheh XD; Well, the next chapter is published August 26th... I'm thinking of writing a fanfiction called 'Raindrop' or something... o.O It's raining like hell now... oh well...  
**Inner Tsukiko: **You forgot something important.  
**Tsukiko: **Oh, right! In next chapter there's going to be a special feature... an interview with the one and only **_James_**-teme:D (However, that is not part of the fanfiction itself. And I'm not going to give you any huge spoilers so if you ask about what's GOING to happen I won't tell. XP Only what James THINKS will happen...) And it's you, my dear reviewers, who'll be able to ask the questions! James will answer them all! So ask away! Ja ne! ;)

**Reviews Corner **(25 reviews left! Yippee! Whoa, it really IS raining a lot outdoors... oh no, I've to go out again after this... x.X)

silverkage-chan: I hope you like what just happened? XD For some reason I want to make James and Kari a couple... I wonder if they'd work together... hmm... what was it now again in chemistry that makes certain elements flow together/get combined if they normally don't? Liquor and water? XD Interesting... Kari and James _and _alcohol? Maybe... maybe not... -smiles wickedly- And thanks:)

dontconfuseme: Yeah, James is a damn idiot e.e

frienz4ever: I will :D

Blackeismybaby: Yeah, I know, isn't it great! XD If only Sasuke would get jealous in the REAL anime/manga... -sigh- So do I. But without him, Sasuke wouldn't get jealous, would he? XD Good luck to you and I hope the first school day will go fine for you! ;D

Crazy Gal42: Hahah, omg, I need to do my homework too! XD But I've forgotten it in my locker... damn.

werwolfofkonoha: Hmm, James could get a Hate James Fanclub... I wonder just how many are ready to kill him... poor James-teme, he has an interview in three days with you guys! XD Lol. Thanks anyway ;D

hushhushyou: Ah well, James has always been weird so it wasn't that much of a surprise, was it? ;P And thanks! X3 I love Sasuke being jealous too!

Green Animelover: Thanks, I will ;)

rebel-girl: And I should punch him! XD Maybe I should... -ponders about making a bonus chapter dedicated to James-haters o.O-

nickygirl: Thanks :)

Zuan: Thanks ;P

els1324: Thank you :D

Kawaii IceCream: Yeah, isn't jealous Sasuke da luff? XP Oh, I should make him jealous more often...

everlasting memories: Lol, thank you XP Yeah, let's hope that the new plan will work... -smiles mischievously-

tiffanylicis: Thank you :)

**_WATASHI MINNA-SAN DAISUKI! _I think that's how you should say it anyway XD I don't know, I suck at Japanese. Anyhow, I love y'all and keep on reviewing! Wohoo, 175 reviews! I wonder what the 200th reviewer will request... XD  
**

**Sneak Preview of Next Chapter – Let's Party:**

_"No… but we wanted to say a proper goodbye. We know you're leaving, and if you really want to, we won't stop you." Neji's smile lessened a little. "But if you have to, we must of course throw a party! But we'll all miss you…" He took some steps closer to her, and Tenten hid a blush at how close he was to her. "… especially me…" And he bent down and…_

**Fanfiction News! **

My computer is totally insane so I have a REALLY hard time writing fanfics. T.T; I can't promise that anything will be done soon...

**(A/N: If you find errors such as words pasted together likethis, sentences that are in bold or italics when they shouldn't be or sentences that are repeated even though they're not supposed to, please tell me. This happens a lot out of some unknown reason, and it isn't because it was like that from the beginning - no, when I edit the chapters after uploading them, they get like that. I don't know why, maybe it's my dad's computer being weird. And also, do the symbols ' and ... look weird? Because on dad's computer, it does.)**


	17. Let's Party!

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Naruto. Unfortunately.

---

♥ Chapter XVII: Let's Party! ♥  
---

"Hey, Ino, why did we come here?" asked Tenten suspiciously as they went to a room with big wooden doors that were painted white and golden doorknobs. "Didn't you say we were going to the movies?"

"Yeah, that's right", Ino chirped happily. "But I just need to fetch something from my room. It'll only take a couple of minutes, I promise!"

"Okay…" Tenten raised an eyebrow when Ino walked into the dark room and then closed the doors. "Hey, why are all the lights out?"

"…"

"Ino?"

"…"

"Ino?"

"SURPRISE!" a dozen voices shrieked and the lights switched on. Tenten blinked, stunned, as she looked around the room. Almost the entire class was there (save the SUFC, James and Kari), and there were tables with snacks and drinks, and a big stereo, and a… disco lamp? **(A/N: What's it called? That big shiny lamp shaped as ball? ) **

"Eh… Ino…?" Tenten turned back to Ino who was grinning widely and motioning at the crowd. Neji came forward, smiling.

"Hi, Tenten", he said with his voice that Tenten loved so much. "We just wanted to throw a party… for you."

"For me? But it's not my birthday", she retorted dumbly, even forgetting that she was angry with Neji.

"No… but we wanted to say a proper goodbye. We know you're leaving, and if you really want to, we won't stop you." Neji's smile lessened a little. "But if you have to, we must of course throw a party! But we'll all miss you…" He took some steps closer to her, and Tenten hid a blush at how close he was to her. "… especially me…" And he bent down and…

… kissed her!

Tenten's blush couldn't be hid anymore, and she only stared when Neji pulled free from the soft kiss. Had they really just kissed? Then she heard a giggle and saw Gabrielle stepping out from the crowd, too.

"I knew all along from Temari that you and Neji liked each other, so I came up with a little plot to get you two together… to make you _jealous_", she laughed. "Nobody knew about it, and even Temari thought it was weird I was flirting so much with Neji, but it was just a little plan to make you envious. Apparently, it worked." She winked. "Yesterday I told Neji the truth – I didn't like him and I just wanted him to be with you."

"You…!" Tenten's face reddened out of wrath. So all her depression, anger and loneliness had been for nothing? Then she suddenly came to think of the idea. She'd probably have done something similar if it was another person. She instead began giggling too. "You're right. It was an excellent plan – congrats, you succeeded." She turned her eyes back to Neji. "Too bad I got to know this so late. Neji… sorry…"

"It's OK." Neji pulled her into a hug, and Naruto made a face.

"Only a hug?" he shouted. "We want to see a kiss!"

Soon, the entire crowd was chiming 'We want to see a kiss! We want to see a kiss!'. Tenten and Neji eyed each other, grinned, and then began kissing, making everyone shout out of approval…

… and the party began.

---

"I hope we haven't missed anything", Sakura said, her eyes sparkling out of glee when they rushed towards the room.

"Yeah", Sasuke simply replied, and then opened the doors. Everybody's attention was drawn towards them… and suddenly Ino's face burst into a grin.

"Oooh, so there's not only _one _couple getting together tonight, ne?"

"D-d-don't be stupid, I-Ino!" Sakura stammered, her cheeks bright red as she and Sasuke, at the same time, pulled away from each other. Though Sasuke desperately tried to hide it, he was blushing too.

"I was just kidding", Ino laughed. "C'mon everybody, let's dance!" She switched on the stereo, and Rihanna's 'Pon de Replay' began playing. Everybody moved towards the dance floor, while Sakura remained at the snacks table together with Sasuke, awkwardly silent, each with a glass of Coke in their hands.

As the music changed to Martine McCutcheon's 'Perfect Moment' and people began dividing up in pairs, Sasuke suddenly reached out a hand to her. "Care to dance?" he asked blankly.

_This is my moment_

_This is my perfect moment with you_

Sakura blinked up in surprise at him, before smiling. "Sure!"

_This is what God meant_

_This is my perfect moment with you_

"Sasuke-kun?"

_I wish I could freeze this space in time  
The way that I feel for you inside_

"Aa?"

_This is my moment  
This is my perfect moment with you_

"You know, before we got to know each other here in Paris…"

_Tell me you love me, when you leave_

_You're more than a shadow, that's what I believe_

"… did we know each other… before?"

_You take me to places I never thought I'd see  
Minute by minute, you're the world to me_

"Hn… I don't know. Maybe we did. Why?"

_I wish I could freeze the look in your eyes_

_The way that I feel for you inside_

Sakura looked up into his ebony eyes with a little smile on her lips, before sighing. "I don't know…"

_This is my moment_

_This is my perfect moment with you_

"… but it feels like…"

_And if tomorrow brings a lonely day_

_Here and now I know I haven't loved in vain_

"… as though we've met… before…"

_From my tears in the rain_

_And if love never comes again_

"… doesn't it, Sasuke-kun?"

_I can always say I've been to paradise skies  
In your eyes…_

Sasuke looked down into her jade eyes. "… Aa."

_Tell me you love me the moment you leave_

_You're more than a shadow, oooh, got to believe_

"Sakura?"

_I wish I could heave you all of my life_

_The way I feel for you inside_

"Yeah?"

_This is my moment_

_This is my perfect moment with you_

"When I was a kid, I knew a girl like you."

_This is my moment_

_This is my perfect moment with you_

"I don't know if you're her or not… but you are… very similar."

_With you…_

"Really?" Sakura grinned. "Maybe I'm her, then… you never know."

"Yeah. You never know", he murmured as the music switched to another song.

---

"Shiiiika-chan!" Ino pounced her lazy boyfriend who was standing in a corner of the room, sipping on a glass of lemonade.

"Ow! Ino, get off!" he replied, shoving the blonde off. "And don't call me Shika-chan!"

"But you _are _Shika-chan", Ino said, putting on a cute pout.

"My name is Nara Shikamaru, of what I can remember", he muttered.

"OK, then, _Shikamaru_!" Ino stuck out her tongue at him. "Why won't you dance?"

"Too troublesome", he responded nonchalantly as he took another sip of his icy lemonade.

"C'mon, we're at a _party_, Shika!"

"It's still too troublesome."

"Oh, c'mon, Shika. You don't want me to dance with another boy, do you?" she added mischievously. This little comment made Shikamaru twitch before he groaned.

"Okay then, Ino, you win."

"Yay! Let's dance!" she beamed as she dragged him towards the dance floor.

---

Neji smirked at Tenten as they danced to Kelly Clarkson's You Found Me.

"What you smirkin' at?" Tenten asked as she grinned back.

_Is this is a dream?  
If it is, please don't wake me from this high_

"At you", he responded, his smirk widening.

_I'd become comfortably numb  
Until you opened up my eyes_

"Why?"

_To what it's like when everything's right  
Oh I can't believe_

"Because of… well… just you." He laughed. "I can't believe that you became jealous of Gabrielle. I never thought you'd be jealous of anyone."

_You found me  
When no one else was looking_

"Well, I guess I can since I just became it." She stuck her tongue out. "Would you become jealous if I were with a guy?"

_How did you know just where I would be?  
Yeah you broke through all of my confusion_

"Not anymore, since I know you'd never be unfaithful to me." He grinned. "But if it had been before, I would."

_The ups and the downs and you still didn't leave_

_I guess that you saw what nobody could see  
You found me_

"Really. I knew I should've tried my 'make-Neji-jealous-plan'." She smirked. "But then I thought it'd be stupid, since you might not get jealous at all and then I'd stand there as a jerk with a useless guy."

_So here we are and that's pretty far_

_When you think of where we've been_

"Well, I'm glad you didn't try that out, since I'd probably have killed that guy", he growled.

_No going back, I'm fading out_

_All that has faded me within_

Tenten giggled. "You're so aggressive, Neji."

_You're by my side_

_Now everything's fine, I can believe_

He grinned teasingly. "Maybe."

_You found me  
When no one else was looking_

"Neji?" she whispered.

_How did you know just where I would be?  
Yeah, you broke through all of my confusion_

"Mm?"

_The ups and the downs and you still didn't leave_

_I guess that you saw what nobody could see_

_You found me_

"Did you know all along what I felt for you?"

_I was hiding till you came along  
And showed where I belong_

"If I had, do you think I'd have waited until now to confess what I feel?"

_You found me  
When no one else was looking_

"Maybe not", she giggled.

_How did you know_

_How did you know? _

"Well, there's your answer", he smirked. "And you?"

_You found me  
When no one else was looking_

"No… I didn't know what I felt. I was afraid of telling my feelings in case you didn't feel the same, and then our friendship would come to an end." She smiled softly. "But now…"

_How did you know just where I would be?  
Yeah, you broke through all of my confusion_

"… Neji…"

_The ups and the downs and you still didn't leave_

_I guess that you saw what nobody could see  
You found me_

"… I'm happy… with you. I'm so glad you feel the same."

_You found me…_

Neji grinned. Tenten's smile widened. "And oh, Neji?"

_You broke through all of my confusion_

_The ups and the owns and you still didn't leave_

"Yeah?"

_I guess that you saw what nobody could see_

_  
_"I love you."

_The good and the bad and the things (everything) in between_

Neji's grin widened. "I love you too."

_You found me  
You found me_

---

And at last, the party came to an end, about three hours later. Tenten stepped out of the crowd, smiling at them.

"Arigatou, everyone", she smiled broadly. "I've had a great time with you tonight. And I'm so happy that I've regained my friends, and…" Her cheeks reddened slightly as she smiled at Neji. "… gained a new – or old – love."

She paused a while, but nobody spoke, merely smiled back. "But I've some things to tell you." Her smile broadened. "I…" Neji smirked. "… will not leave Paris."

Silence.

Then,

"YEAAAAAH!"

"TENTEN, YOU ROCK!"

"C'MON, LET'S CONTINUE TO PARTY!"

"AWESOME!"

"I'm so happy for you, Tenten!" Sakura exclaimed as she came forward and hugged her friend.

"M-me t-t-too", Hinata stuttered with a shy smile as she joined in the hugging.

"Yeah, welcome back, girl!" Temari grinned as she and Ino almost choked Tenten in a double-bone-crushing hug.

"Th-thanks", Tenten coughed when they let go.

"Welcome back, Tenten-chan!" Naruto grinned.

"Hn", Sasuke simply said with a smirk.

"Welcome back." Neji pulled her into a romantic kiss.

Tenten had never felt happier in her entire life.

**Tsukiko: **So everything seems alright again... or so it seems! A groundshaking truth is about to revealed... but what truth?  
**Inner Tsukiko: **You sound really lame. -.-  
**Tsukiko: **Gomen XD Anyhow, next chapter is published August 29th! And coming up is an "interview" (a.k.a. answers on your reviews) with... -drumroll- Tenten :D So ask away, people! And also, since there weren't that many questions for James-teme, he's going to answer your reviews in this chapter instead! ;D Go ahead, James!  
**James: **Humph... I can't believe that so many people hate me... I mean, I'm both handsome and cool and SO MUCH BETTER THAN THAT DAMN UCHIHA!  
**Tsukiko: **-cough-pervert-cough-  
**James: **Am not!  
**Tsukiko: **Anyhow, let's answer the reviews now... XD; So ja ne! ;)

**Reviews Corner... ANSWERED BY THE MIGHTY JAMES-TEME! XD **(Don't blame me if the answers aren't nice, it's James who answers them, not me. XD Btw, James won't answer them next time, it's Tenten who'll answer them ;P)

nickygirl: A fangirl? Hmm... I wonder if it is that...

Kawaii IceCream: Yes, I know, isn't it horrible? Damn that Uchiha... one day I'll kill him... and hopefully, they'll never get together... then I'll have my dear cherry blossom all by myself... -drools-

sasusaku4eva101: I don't. I wish I had a fanclub myself... damn that Uchiha... if he hadn't been there everyone would've liked ME!

rebel-girl: Do you really hate me that much? -sobs- I've done nothing wrong! -sobs- I don't hate you! Why do you hate me if I don't hate you? And that bonus chapter... well, Tsukiko says that's up to the 200th reviewer...

starlight lily: Happy birthday! Does everyone like me more now?

Jaciie: -pulls his hair in frustration- How can you be happy for something as horrible as that? If only that damn Uchiha didn't exist... -mutters about assassins and hitmen-

werwolfofkonoha: I feel sorry for you... everything is that damn Uchiha's fault! Yes, I know, stupid idiotic guards... I didn't do anything wrong! The Uchiha did! Hmm, good idea, I should try that out... Why is everyone happy that Uchiha and my dear cherry blossom are friends again? ;.;

everlasting memories: (**Tsukiko in the background: **Thank you!) Shut up, Tsukiko! And yes, isn't it incredible? I was hoping he wouldn't... oh, well...

Green Animelover: Tsukiko says thank you again... but why do y'all think it's cute that I got punched? It hurt, goddammit! o.x

hushhushyou: Don't be stupid, I wouldn't spy on Uchiha! But maybe on my dear cherry blossom... heh... especially when she's showering - OW! (**Tsukiko: **I'm gonna kill you someday if you don't stop being perverted... -.-) That HURT AS HELL, Tsukiko! (**Tsukiko: **I'm aware of that... XD) Hikari? Big possibility... she's that kind of type... (**Kari: **-whacks-) OW! Why does everyone hate me? T.T And Uchiha is NOT sweet, goddammit!

Zuan: (**Tsukiko: **Thank you:D) I want something to eat... damn Tsukiko for not giving me food because I'm perverted... NOT!

iamNOTafangirl3221: Of course I would! Just that... that damn Uchiha would win... and that possibility has already been confirmed, has it not?

Crazy Gal42: He just did. Happy? And Tsukiko is sending a private message soon. She says she's happy that you made it, and that she sucks at singing herself... I'm really good at singing! -boasts- Better than that Uchiha anyway.

themangaloverofdoom: (**Tsukiko: **Glad that you like it n.n) Do you like me too? Tell me you do! (Tsukiko: Does ANYBODY like you? -.-;)

Sharingan508: I know, Tsukiko is so evil... OW! She won't let me eat because she says I'm perverted, oh, she's so evil... OW! Look just how evil she is... OW! (**Tsukiko: **I warned you before. Don't make me angry or you'll be sorry. XD Thank you for liking my story anyway :D)

dontconfuseme: Tsukiko says thank you again, and... I hope they're not more than friends! I hope they start to hate each other! What if they're more than friends? What am I going to do? What? What? -panics-

silverkage-chan: Me and HIKARI? Don't be ridiculous! -blushes- (**Tsukiko: **Oooh, he's blushing... xP) It's HOT in here! HOT I SAY! I'm NOT blushing! My dearest cherry blossom is my true love...

sasusaku90: WHY IS EVERYONE HAPPY BECAUSE THEY'RE TOGETHER AGAIN? T.T I WANNA CRY! CRY I SAY! -cries rivers- ;.;

tiffanylicis: You're being so mean to me! ;.; And I certainly WILL date my dearest cherry blossom again if she says yes! I'll ask her right after this...

frienz4ever: Yes, he's a stupid cold-hearted bastard... finally someone agrees... do you like me more than you like him?

MELCAR16: Why are you so mean to me? T.T They're NOT cute together, they DON'T love each other, and besides, I WOULD leave Uchiha alone if he left my dear cherry blossom alone!

killjoy6000: Tsukiko says thanks again, but is it because I'm in the story that you think it's awesome? It is, isn't it? Oh, I KNEW someone liked me!

Kaoru-chan-PL: **(Tsukiko: **CONGRAAATS:D You won the 200th review! You're able to request a bonus chapter, but unfortunately you can't really decide the exact details ;P You can dedicate it to an event (for example, punch the shit out of James) or a person/couple (but not SasuSaku because there's already a bonus chapter dedicated to them :D), so once you've made your decision, PM me! It must be done before the 20th chapter is out, though ;D Thank you anyhow :D) Tsukiko, what the hell are you saying about punching the shit out of me? She loves me, as everyone else does, don't you, Kaoru-chan? Don't you...? T.T

**WHOA! 200 REVIEWS! OH, THE JOY! THE JOY OF REVIEWS! I LOVE Y'ALL! X3 Btw, there's no use replying to James because he won't reply in next chapter, Tenten will. XD**

**Sneak Preview of Next Chapter – The Truth Revealed:**

"Let's go, Cindy", Daiki murmured.

"Wait, we're having a little reunion here, Daiki-san", Cindy retorted irritably. _Ha! _Sasuke thought triumphantly.

"You should be glad", Kari sneered. "He's treating her like you. In fact, I think he's… _seeing _her as you. Maybe that's why they're friends at all."

**Fanfictions News **

My computer is having serious problems and I really need to put the files in my USB before it's too late and it completely, err, dies. x.x; Until then, I can't work on the bonus chapter dedicated to KakaKure... or HeartAngel's bonus chapter. Besides, I'm having a minor Writer's Block and I'm really busy in school... gomen ne, everyone T.T

**(A/N: If you find errors such as words pasted together likethis, sentences that are in bold or italics when they shouldn't be or sentences that are repeated even though they're not supposed to, please tell me. This happens a lot out of some unknown reason, and it isn't because it was like that from the beginning - no, when I edit the chapters after uploading them, they get like that. I don't know why, maybe it's my dad's computer being weird. And also, do the symbols ' and ... look weird? Because on dad's computer, it does.)**


	18. The Truth Revealed?

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Naruto. But I wish I did...

**Bonus Chapter Winners:  
100th Review - HeartAngel  
200th Review - Kaoru-chan PL**

---

♥ Chapter XVIII: The Truth Revealed? ♥  
---

"Ohayou, Sasuke-kun!" Sakura smiled happily as she opened her locker next to the chicken-haired teen's. Sasuke smirked back.

"Hi, Sakura", he merely replied, taking out his books from his locker.

"OH MY GOD HE SAID HI!" a fangirl screeched, her eyes wide open.

"I wish I had brought my video camera", another said.

"Yo, Sakura?" said Sasuke, ignoring the fangirls in the background.

"Yeah?" She turned her beautiful smile towards him. He felt something move in his chest.

"You wanted this, didn't you?" He shoved a wrapped parcel into her hands. She stared, surprised. It was wrapped in sky-blue paper and had a nice pink ribbon on top.

"And by the way, it wasn't me who wrapped it", he quickly added, as his eyes wandered to the pastel-pink ribbon.

"Okay", she laughed. "Arigatou, Sasuke-kun! But what is it?"

"Your present. You wanted this for your birthday, didn't you?" he replied casually.

"My birthday?" She blinked, astounded.

"Yeah, stupid. Your birthday is today, don't you know?"

"It is?" Her smile got wider and happier. "Wow, thanks a lot, Sasuke-kun!"

He smiled. "Happy birthday."

"Arigatou! Can I open it?"

"Do whatever you want." He shrugged.

"Yay!" She carefully removed the wrapping paper, making him arch an eyebrow.

"Why so careful?" he wondered.

"Well, the wrapping paper is very nice! And I love the ribbon, I don't want it destroyed", she grinned back, and then looked at the contents of the parcel. "Oh!"

Inside was a game – _Dancing Petals _– with a book, namely Meg Cabot's _The Princess Diaries: Give me Five _and also, a CD (Black Eyed Peas' Monkey Business). Stuck in the book was a little birthday card saying, 'Happy Birthday, Sakura'.

"Oh my god! That's so nice of you, Sasuke-kun!" Sakura squealed and hugged him tight. "Arigatou!"

"Get off, Sakura", he said calmly without even putting the effort in pushing her off.

"OK!" She obeyed with a sheepish smile and then looked at the presents she had now put in her locker again. "Oh my god, Sasuke-kun, how did you know I just _wanted _that?"

Sasuke shrugged. "Well, I saw you reading one of those _Princess Diaries _books and figured you'd want one. And I overheard you talking with Tenten whether or not you'd buy _Monkey Business_, so it wasn't all that hard, was it? And, besides…" He smirked again. "… I remember that you liked _my _game, so I convinced the game producers to create a copy for you. I guess my game isn't all that _private _anymore."

"You're so nice, Sasuke-kun!" Sakura beamed. "Arigatou again!"

"Yeah, yeah. You're welcome."

---

In the shadows of a deserted corridor, two very familiar voices could be heard, but only if you listened very, very closely, because they were talking quietly.

"… And he just snatched my cherry blossom anyway! What should we do, Hikari? Our plan just failed! Their friendship has improved… and everyone is gossiping about their 'love'!"

"I know, I know", Kari hissed angrily. "But listen. I've got a plan. Have you ever heard of Uchiha Daiki?"

"Yes, he's a famous actor. Why?"

"Well, he's coming to Paris tomorrow evening, and I've got the perfect plan. Listen…"

---

"Hi, Tenten."

"Hi, Neji."

Kiss.

"ARGH! DO YOU'VE DO THAT ALL THE TIME?" Naruto yelled, tugging at his hair. Tenten shot him a deadly glare.

"Well, for your information, _Naruto_", she said with a poisonous voice, "Just because you don't have a girlfriend to make out with doesn't mean we don't have the right to make out."

"But… you've done that five times today already!" Naruto wailed. "It's… gross!"

"Don't be so childish, Naruto", Ino scolded him. "When you get a girlfriend, you'll understand. Right, Shika?" she purred to her boyfriend. Shikamaru sighed.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever. How troublesome…", he muttered.

Hinata looked shyly at Naruto. "Naruto-kun, they're couples, let them do it…"

"But I wanna join in the fun, too!" Naruto complained. "It's no fair!"

"Then get yourself a girlfriend, dobe", Sasuke snorted.

"Like you have any, teme", Naruto growled at his best friend and rival.

"I didn't complain about wanting any", he replied plainly. "I'm happy having friends that are girls, I'm in no need of a _girlfriend_."

He gave Sakura a meaningful look that made her blush. Sasuke smirked.

"Well, um… happy birthday, Sakura!" Hinata said, trying to change topic.

"Oh, yeah! I totally forgot!" Naruto pulled out a present from… yeah, from where? Suddenly, it was just in his hands.

"It's your _birthday_?" Ino whined. "Why didn't anyone tell me?"

"We thought you knew", everyone said in chorus.

"Happy birthday!" Tenten grinned and gave her a wrapped gift. "This is from me and Neji. We picked it out together."

"And from me", Hinata smiled as she put another package in Sakura's hands.

"Where's Kari, by the way?" Shikamaru asked. "Isn't she supposed to be here too? And oh, happy birthday, Sakura", he added when Ino scowled at him.

"Happy birthday!" Ino exclaimed happily.

"Thanks, everyone!" Sakura grinned broadly when she received all the gifts.

"Hey, what's going on?" Kari approached the group, smiling… secretly? "H-h-hi, S-S-S-Sasuke-kun", she added as she caught sight of the black-haired teen. "I've a gift for you…"

"I'm not the one you should give a gift to", he retorted with a cold glare.

"What?" Kari looked confused and then eyed the widely grinning Sakura. "Oh, Sakura-chan! It's your birthday? Happy birthday! Uh… I gotta hurry off, James is over there! Bye!"

"Have she and James become an item or what? They're going around everywhere together", Ino said, staring at her retreating back.

---

"Sasuke-sama?"

Sasuke's gaze traveled lazily away from the TV screen to the excited servant. "Yeah, what?"

"Your brother will arrive shortly. We've just received a message from your parents that he'll come and visit you tomorrow evening, and he'd like to hold a party in the mansion if possible", the servant rapidly informed his master. Sasuke's eyes widened.

"Itachi? Here? Tomorrow?" he spluttered out. The servant nodded several times. "And a… party?"

"Yes, Sasuke-sama."

"But… didn't he have some important business in the US? Why does he come to Paris _now_?"

"Well, according to your parents, Sasuke-sama, his fiancée has heard her younger sister also lives in Paris and is looking forward to see her. Therefore, he has planned to surprise her by bringing her to Paris. But the party, Sasuke-sama… it is pretty urgent." The servant looked even more excited. "Shall we make the preparations?"

"Fine. Just do it. And who shall we invite?" Sasuke asked.

"We've already made a list of VIPs that'd possibly attend the party, including some people from Sasuke-sama's school; Hyuuga Neji-san, Hyuuga Hinata-san, Uzumaki Naruto-san, Yamanaka Ino-san… and… oh, yes, Hikari Hikari-san."

"Is _she _invited?" Sasuke said with disgust.

"Yes."

"Dancing partners needed?"

"Yes, Sasuke-sama."

Sasuke frowned. "Is it a necessity?"

"Yes, Sasuke-sama."

"Fine. Do the preparations, and don't make me regret that I agreed to this stupid idea. Go. Now."

"Yes, Sasuke-sama!" The servant exited, and looked so joyful Sasuke wondered if he'd start to singing or doing something weird once he was out of sight.

Heaving a sigh, Sasuke glanced at his mobile phone on the table beside him. _Dancing partners, huh… how troublesome… ugh, I feel like Shikamaru._

---

"Sakura? Oh, wait a second, Sasuke. Sakura! Sasuke is calling you!"

"What? Wait, I'm coming!" the girl shouted back from her room. Cecilia heaved a sigh. What was up with that girl anyway? One day she was acting as though she carried the earth on her shoulders, the other as though she had been granted a wish…

_Those teenage mood swings nowadays_, she thought and rolled her eyes, coming to think of her own daughter. The bubblegum-haired teenager soon came out of her room and dashed towards the phone.

"Sasuke-kun? Is that you? Hi!" she said in the phone swiftly with a smile.

"Hi", she heard Sasuke's voice reply with the same blank tone as always. "I've told you I've a brother, haven't I?"

"Uh… yes, I think so… why?"

"Well, he's coming to Paris."

"Really? Cool! How does he look like?"

"You'll see. We're going to hold a party at my mansion, and…"

"Again? Yay!"

"Listen, Sakura."

"Okay!"

"And some people are invited…"

"Am I?"

"I told you to listen", he sighed. She giggled in response.

"Okay then, Sasuke-kun, I'll listen."

"Well… Neji, the dobe and Ino are invited… and Kari, too", he added with a slightly disgusted voice. Sakura chose to ignore it.

"And we need to bring dance partners", he finished.

"Okay! That sounds really funny, you've got to tell me all the details once the party's over!" Sakura beamed.

"I don't need to. I wanted to ask whether or not you wanted to become my dance partner."

"Really?" Sakura's eyes widened, along with her smile. "That's so nice of you, Sasuke-kun! Arigatou!"

"So what's your answer?"

"Eh?"

"Coming or not?"

"'Course I'm coming! What do you think, Sasuke-kun? I'd never miss a party! But… I need a new dress, though…" She fingered her current one, a red, sleeveless dress that reached her knees. "I don't think I've anything that'd suit a fancy party."

"Hn."

"So when's the party, then?"

"Tomorrow evening."

"WHAT! But… but… why didn't you tell me until now!" she exclaimed.

"I didn't get to know he was coming before now", Sasuke answered with slight annoyance in his voice.

"But then I need to get a dress _now_! Well, then, Sasuke-kun, arigatou again and ja ne, but I must talk to my friends immediately! Ja!" Hanging up, she dialed the number to Tenten. "Tenten? You've the multiple line-whatever it's called so we can talk to the others too, right? Can't you phone Temari, Ino and Hinata-chan? And oh, Kari-chan too! Yeah, I know, the party…"

---

"I don't know if I like this dress. It seems kind of… _challenging _to me", Tenten remarked as she poked her crimson evening gown.

"Oh, don't be silly, Tenten, you look great in it", Ino grinned as she twirled around in her black evening gown which clearly exposed her slim waist. It was, too, sleeveless and was only supported by the "rope" that hung around her neck. "I love this gown, I can't see why my mom doesn't like it…"

"Maybe because it's so tight" Sakura suggested, flashing a smile at them. She was lesser daring and was wearing a traditional Chinese dress the color of pink with darker pink cherry blossom on it.

"I hope Naruto-kun will like this", Hinata flushed. She was dressed in an orange kimono with a green ribbon around her waist. "My mother bought it for me…"

"Finally", Neji grinned at them as he approached the gates of the Uchiha mansion where the girls stood. "Did you have to go shopping for such a long time?"

"But it's all your fault, Sasuke-kun", Ino complained. "If you had told us earlier, we'd have had more time shopping. Yesterday wasn't enough, so we finally found some good outfits today…"

"How troublesome", Shikamaru sighed as he put an arm around Ino's shoulders.

"You look great, Hinata-chan!" Naruto commented with a grin, making Hinata blush even more.

"Hi", Sasuke greeted Sakura.

"Hi, Sasuke-kun!" she smiled back. "So, let's go, shall we?"

---

"Yo, Itachi! Haven't see ya in quite some time!" Naruto grinned broadly to Sasuke's brother. Itachi smiled back. He hadn't seen his brothers 'little pals' as he called them in quite some time too. Naruto and Neji had grown… just as his own brother.

"Hi, Naruto. Untidy as always, I can see", he added as he eyed Naruto's carelessly tied tie. "And hi, Neji."

"Yo", Neji merely responded.

"And… hello, foolish little brother", he smirked at Sasuke who glared back.

"Stop calling me that", he growled.

Itachi just replied with a smirk when he noticed the girls. "So I see you've brought dance partners. And who're those pretty ladies, may I ask?"

"Don't you remember me, Itachi-kun?" Ino said, putting on a childish scowl. "I'm Yamanaka Ino."

"Yeah, that's right… the annoying little blonde who stalked my foolish little brother everywhere, am I correct?" said Itachi, still smirking.

"HEY! I'M NOT ANNOYING!" Ino exploded.

"Just kidding", Itachi laughed. "Yeah, I remember you, Ino. You used to ask me to set you and my foolish little brother up. I see that you've now a decent boyfriend of your own."

"Yup! His name is Nara Shikamaru and he's a genius", Ino beamed triumphantly.

"How troublesome", Shikamaru muttered.

"And this is Hinata-chan!" Naruto grinned.

"Your girlfriend?" Itachi suggested, raising an eyebrow. To his amusement, Naruto blushed.

"No, idiot! My friend", Naruto corrected him with a cough.

"And my cousin", Neji added warningly with a threatening glare at Naruto that made him cough some more. "And this… my gorgeous girlfriend." He kissed Tenten's forehead.

"A girlfriend, huh?" Itachi eyed the smiling Tenten curiously. "Seems like you've matured a little since last, haven't you, Hyuuga?" He smirked again when Neji shot another death glare at him.

"And last but not least, a little pink-haired beauty queen like my fiancée", Itachi smirked at Sakura. "And who're you, may I ask?"

"Oh my god! Sakura-chan!" a voice exclaimed from behind Itachi. Surprised, everyone saw a woman appear by Itachi's side. She was dressed in a pale-blue evening gown with a silvery necklace around her neck, and like Sakura, she had pink hair and green eyes.

"Shizuka", Itachi began with raised eyebrows, "You know –"

"Onee-chan!" Sakura burst out, goggling at the woman. "You're _here_? Aren't you supposed to be in the US?"

"Sakura-chan, I knew you were in Paris, but what a coincidence that you were here tonight!" the woman named Shizuka laughed. "And…" She shot Sasuke a curious glance, "I can see that you're a boy that looks like Itachi-kun too. That's your… younger brother, isn't it, Itachi-kun?" Her eyes wandered back to Itachi.

"Yes, it is… and it seems like both our younger siblings have assembled here tonight, in each other's company too", Itachi retorted amusingly.

"Can someone tell me what's going on?" asked Ino, confused.

"Well… this is my fiancée, Haruno Shizuka", Itachi introduced, putting an arm around the said woman's waist and pulling her closer.

"Also known as my sister", Sakura added.

"Hey, that's funny! You two's older brother and sister got together, does that mean…?" Naruto didn't finish his sentence, and only grinned mischievously. This resulted in that Sakura's cheeks turned bright red.

"NARUTO!" she cried out, hitting him on the head.

"Violent as always", Shizuka sighed.

"And my foolish little brother is suppressing a blush… how cute", Itachi teased, but ended up dodging being hit too.

"I'm _not _suppressing a blush", Sasuke muttered aggressively.

"Okay, okay, calm it, foolish little brother", Itachi smirked.

"… Well, well, well. Why don't we all begin to dance?" said Shizuka happily as the orchestra began playing music.

"Absolutely." Itachi began steering her towards the dance floor, Tenten and Neji, Ino and Shikamaru, and Naruto and Hinata following them. Sasuke and Sakura, however, remained where they were.

"Kind of sarcastic. That your older brother is my older sister's fiancé…", Sakura remarked after a while, laughing a little.

"Hn."

"So, Sasuke-kun… do you want to dance?" She smiled innocently.

"No."

"Okay. How about –"

"S-S-S-Sasuke-kun!" a familiar voice interrupted them. They spun around to see Kari dressed in an adorable pink evening gown.

"Kari-chan!" Sakura beamed, and then eyed Sasuke. "Uh, Sasuke-kun, you want anything to drink? I'll go get it…"

"Hn."

"A Coke? If there is any."

"Aa."

"Okay! See you around, then!" she grinned, then winking at Kari as though to say 'he's yours', and then trotted away.

"So, Sasuke-kun…", Kari began breathlessly, but was rudely interrupted by a sweet, _sweet _voice like the thickest layer of honey:

"Sasuke-kun! What a spectacular surprise!"

Sasuke flinched and stiffened at once. And as though in slow motion, he saw the only girl he had ever loved approaching him, dragging a black-haired boy along.

---

"Cindy", Kari said coldly as the said girl approached. She had short, brownish-gold hair and deep blue eyes, wearing a daring black dress that exposed pretty much skin.

"And oh, Kari… how pleasant." Cindy battered her eyelashes seductively at Sasuke, without even looking at Kari. "What a fantastic surprise, Sasuke-kun… I didn't expect you to be here."

"Hi", the boy said coolly beside Cindy.

"Oh, don't be so rude, Daiki-san!" Cindy chirped as her grasp around her boyfriend's arm tightened. "He's your cousin, after all. Well?" She turned her big, innocent eyes to Sasuke again with a broad smile. "Not going to say hello?"

"Hi", Sasuke greeted, feeling his throat going dry. He then glanced at Cindy's hair. "What've you done to your hair?"

"My hair? Oh, _that_!" Cindy laughed a delicate laugh that sent shivers down Sasuke's spine. "Well, you know, I used to have black hair, but I dyed it pink… I used to have pink when I was little, you know…" She flung her hair with a nonchalant gesture. "… then I wanted to have my hair another color, you know… since… well, it was just so _unfashionable _to have pink." She wrinkled her nose. "My cousins never get tired of pink, it seems." Cindy looked reproachfully at Itachi and Shizuka. "They're born with pink hair, I think, but still… it's just so… unfashionable."

"Speaking of your cousins, you know one of them has come to Paris to study?" Kari added casually, struggling to keep her voice calm.

"Really?" Cindy looked in disbelief at the brunette. "You mean Shizuka?"

"No. Sakura."

Sasuke froze out of horror. Was she going to say…

"Sakura?" Cindy laughed scornfully. "That childish girl who's so stubborn she can't learn _true _fashion? Oh, she's _so _immature. I remember once when she noticed me and Sasuke-kun when we were making out. She freaked out, didn't she, Sasuke-kun?"

Sasuke didn't respond. So he _had _been right… the girl… she was Sakura… did she even remember that event?

"Yeah, but did you know Sasuke-kun was on pretty good terms with her? His relationship with her reminds me of… how yours and his used to be", Kari laughed dryly.

"Really?" Cindy frowned and turned to look at Sasuke. "You're with _her_? That immature, stupid, ugly… _child_?"

Sasuke felt his temper arise. _She's not immature or stupid or ugly! _he shrieked in his mind. But when her eyes pierced into his, he felt all his anger blow away. Instantly, he felt a deep jealousy when he saw his cousin kiss Cindy's cheek lightly.

"Let's go, Cindy", Daiki murmured.

"Wait, we're having a little reunion here, Daiki-san", Cindy retorted irritably. _Ha! _Sasuke thought triumphantly.

"You should be glad", Kari sneered. "He's treating her like you. In fact, I think he's… _seeing _her as you. Maybe that's why they're friends at all."

Crash.

The four of them whirled around, taken aback by the sudden sound. Two shattered glasses lay on the floor. And just before she turned and ran, they saw a pink-haired girl with a least to say shocked and hurt face expression.

**Tsukiko: **Uh-oh! Seems like Sakura-chan got a bit mad... or is she hurt? Maybe both! Find out in the next chapter which is published September 2nd!  
**Inner Tsukiko: **September... omg...  
**Tsukiko: **Yeah, in September, my sister and my mom are away, so I'm left with my dad who I constantly argue with -.-; Anyway... ja ne! Btw, coming up... the one answering the Reviews Corner next time is... -drumroll- HIKARI-BAKA:D

Reviews Corner (200 FRIGGIN' REVIEWS! I LOVE YOU PEOPLE! And now, it's almost only 70 reviews away for the 300th! If you make it to the 300th before the 20th chapter, then we'll have ANOTHER bonus chapter :D And Tenten is answering this, btw.)

I REPEAT, TENTEN IS ANSWERING THIS! NOT ME! And btw, no use to answer to Tenten's comments because Kari is answering the reviews next time ;)

silverdragon994: Hey, why is there no comment about me? (Tsukiko: I'm glad that you like it :D)

Kawaii IceCream: Yup I'm staying with my new bf, isn't it wonderful? x3 And Kari-chan! Impossible!... -eyes sparkle dangerously, she holds notebook in one hand- Say that again about my friend and I'll kill you... (Tsukiko: She's SO clueless.. -.-)

Crazy Gal42: I sing lovely! Or so Neji says:) (Tsukiko: Oh my god, do you attend a music school sort of thing or something? - That must be fantastic! I wish I was a great singer myself. x.x; I sound like I've a throat problem whenever I try to sing... it sounds really, really off key or whatever it's called too... but I love singing:D It's just that it's so embarrassing to sing when other people are around because I suck at it...)

hushhushyou: I'm glad that you're glad for me! Hmm... Sasuke and Sakura, you say? Well... that wouldn't be impossible... with a bit of matchmaking it wouldn't be impossible... (Tsukiko: Kyahahahahaha...)

els1324: I should really be the president of Tenten Stays Fanclub! XD Oh, that'd be awesome... maybe I should ask Neji to be the co-president... hmm... (Tsukiko: Geez, her mind is all filled with Neji... not that I can blame her... o.x But thanks :) I'm moving the files to this computer, so hopefully I can continue writing the fanfic even though my own laptop is in a worse state than if you had shoved it under a truck. (Okay not literally, it looks completely normal but the screen... -groans-))

sasusaku90: I can accept that you hate James-teme... but Kari-chan! -eyes flashes as she holds her notebook- Die... I say... DIE! (Tsukiko: AAAH! TENTEN-CHAN! DON'T DO THAT! Gomen nasai o.x She's a bit violent when it comes to her friends... but I have to agree with you, I hate Kari too...) NANI TENNAYOU, OMAE! (Tsukiko: Uh-oh... thanks for liking the story anyway ;))

dontconfuseme: I'm a great fan of Sasuke and Sakura (not that much of the Sasuke part though... he's a cold-hearted bastard sometimes but I guess Sakura can make fire out of nothing but ice)... and yay, another fan of Tenten Stays FC! ;D I SHOULD really ask Neji if he wants to be the co-president... (Tsukiko: ... -.-)

werwolfofkonoha: Haha, I rule the world! I can conquer the world! I can do anything... because I've my own Tenten Stays Fanclub! Another member! Neji, Neji... where ARE you? T.T I'm in desperate need of a co-president... (Tsukiko: ... -.-)

themangaloverofdoom: I bet that's because you're glad that I'm staying! Isn't it, huh? HUH! -holds notebook threateningly- (Tsukiko: Thanks :D And Tenten-chan, STOP BABBLING ABOUT YOUR GODDAMNED FANCLUB!)

Blackieismybaby: Aaaaaand... ANOTHER MEMBER! BANZAI! And of course, we all hate James... (James: IS that true? Is THAT true? Is that TRUE? I'm gonna kill myself! Waaaah! T.T) (Tsukiko: Like anyone gives a damn anyway... -.- Thanks for liking the chapter anyhow ;P)

Claud-kun: Neji's hair is soooo soft... I love it! It's like touching silk, but it's an even more comfortable feeling... -sighs happily- But aren't you going to join the Tenten Stays FC too? T.T (Tsukiko: Thanks :D And SasuSaku power forever! -good guy pose-) WHY DOES NO ONE CARE ABOUT TENTEN STAYS FC!

Green Animelover: Well, if I punched Neji... it'd be like marshmellows... NOT... D (Tsukiko: o.O;; As that whatever-he's-called guy in Girl Got Game vol. 9 says... "What a crappy girlfriend"... But I'm glad that you like the chapter anyway :D)

nickygirl: WAAAH, NO COMMENT ABOUT ME! ;.; (Tsukiko: I'm glad that you like it so much:D)

frienz4ever: WHAT! THAT'S TRUE! CINDY IS BACK? _CINDY_? No, you must mean another Cindy... yes... -is in total shock, so she forgets about Neji and Tenten Stays FC for once- (James: HA! See, somebody likes me!) (Tsukiko: ... Congrats for your first fan, James. XD)

everlasting memories: ANOTHER MEMBER OF THE TENTEN STAYS FC! Aha! I so totally can conquer this planet! Thank you... but what do you mean with the manga? I live here in Paris! There's manga for sale in Paris... -gasp- You don't mean that there's a manga about ME? Omg, I must really have a huge Tenten Stays FC! OMG! (Tsukiko: Oh, she's so clueless... XDD) And Lee? -shrugs- He's just a friend of ours. Not such a big deal. And anyway, I've a bf now... Hmm, fangirls you say? Well, I've my faithful notebook... and if hitting the fangirls don't work... I can always hit HIM... XD And then after they see that hideous sight, they might give up their fangirling... (Tsukiko: Talk about violent... o.O) James? He's a damn pervert that I hate. Posh, arrogant, stupid. Yeah, he's a bit handsome but all his handsomeness fades away when all those negative things about him appear. And Kari-chan? She's my friend. Them being together would be like water and fire... I think... and I think Neji uses the Floral Green shampoo, like Sakura and Pakkun, Kakashi-sensei's dog... not that I've actually seen that dog USE it, it was Kakashi-sensei that said it once during class...

tiffanylicis: Another member of the Tenten Stays FC...? Maybe? (Tsukiko: Stop rambling about that goddamned FC! e.e I'm glad that you like it, anyway.)

x-an-angel-cries-x: You don't love the fact that I'm staying...? ;.; (Tsukiko: Thank you:D)

rebel-girl: Say that again if you dare... -eyes flashes as she holds notebook once more- (Tsukiko: o.O; I'm glad that you don't hate me though XDDD Poor James... I think he's going to commit suicide soon...) (James: WAAAAAAAAAAH T.T)

Zuan: ... No more members in the Tenten Stays FC? T.T (Tsukiko: Sankyuu! I'm glad that you like it:D)

AnimeLuver05: No... more... members... -mumbles- (Tsukiko: Thank you:D)

Kaoru-chan-PL: But nobody loves me? ;.; (James: I was asking if you loved ME, not HER! T.T) (Tsukiko: LMAO XD Well thank you anyway!)

silverkage-chan: Well, Neji and me DO look good together... (Tsukiko: Mwahahah, I'm so evil XD)

rosesRred16: Why is there nothing about ME! (Tsukiko: Thanks, I will :D)

Jaciie: Cindy IS not coming back. ... or at least, I hope so... x.x (Tsukiko: -shakes head- Oh, the clueless ones. Thanks anyway :D And hmm... maybe it IS Sakura... ;P)

HeartAngel: Seems like I'll have to close my Tenten Stays FC due to lack of members... ;.; (Tsukiko: NOOO YOU SPOILED THE SURPRISE! XD Well, anyway, there are TWO KakaKure chapters, one that's yours and one that's mine XD I haven't even started on yours yet, so don't worry :P It's mine I've a Writer's Block on. A Japanese teacher? -sighs- You're so lucky...)

ruichi: WHY DOES NOBODY LOVE ME! (Tsukiko: Because you talk too much about your own fanclub. -.- But banzai, another Sasuke lover:D)

YAY FOR THE 200 REVIEWS:D I'm so happy! I think I must agree with my friend, who said the other day, "Life is pretty good, isn't it?" I mean, sure, I've my ups and downs (like just now, I felt jealous, and not jealous in the 'oh my god, you've a Louis Vuitton bag' sense, but jealous as in 'hmph, so he likes her') but whenever I feel down, I look at your reviews and then I just have this large smile plastered onto my face:D So keep on reviewing!

_Sneak Preview of Next Chapter: Nothing More _

Cecilia didn't react at first. After draining some more of her tea, she put down her cup and chuckled sarcastically. "This reminds me of when you were still Cindy's boyfriend, just that she was the one ditching you and not the other way around." Silence. "So… the important question – is it true? Are you seeing Cindy in Sakura?"

**(A/N: If you find errors such as words pasted together likethis, sentences that are in bold or italics when they shouldn't be or sentences that are repeated even though they're not supposed to, please tell me. This happens a lot out of some unknown reason, and it isn't because it was like that from the beginning - no, when I edit the chapters after uploading them, they get like that. I don't know why, maybe it's my dad's computer being weird. And also, do the symbols ' and ... look weird? Because on dad's computer, it does.)**


	19. Nothing More

**Disclaimer**: I don't own Naruto.

---

♥ Chapter XIX: Nothing More ♥  
---

"Please, Sakura. Let me in. Please? Pretty, pretty please?"

"Leave me alone!" was the screamed answer he received. Sasuke sighed.

"C'mon. Let's just talk. Please? I can stand outside, if you want. Let's just talk."

"NO! Leave me alone, DAMMIT!"

"And I thought you'd never get mad", he tried to tease jokingly.

"WELL, I AM NOW! SO LEAVE ME ALONE, DAMMIT!"

"C'mon, Sakura –"

"LEAVE ME ALONE, BASTARD! GO TO HELL WITH YOUR BELOVED CINDY!"

"Break-time?" Cecilia said, looking pitifully at him.

"OK…", Sasuke sighed.

---

In the kitchen, Cecilia poured some hot lemon-flavored tea in two cups, before sitting down opposite Sasuke with one cup, giving him the other.

"Arigatou", Sasuke muttered as he sipped the tea.

"Hey, Sasuke, what happened? You've already tried getting her out of her room two hours now. This doesn't seem like Sakura, getting so mad. Normally she's calm and controlled." Cecilia examined his face.

"Yeah… well…" Sasuke heaved another sigh. "That goddamned Hikari girl said during the party that I was friends with Sakura just because I saw Cindy in her."

Cecilia didn't react at first. After draining some more of her tea, she put down her cup and chuckled sarcastically. "This reminds me of when you were still Cindy's boyfriend, just that she was the one ditching you and not the other way around." Silence. "So… the important question – is it true? Are you seeing Cindy in Sakura?"

Sasuke pondered the question a while, before he thoughtfully replied: "At first, yes. Now I see Sakura as an important friend, not as Cindy's shadow. But still… she's just a friend of mine. Nothing more. Cindy… well, Cindy is Cindy. She's my one and only love."

"So you're still in love with her?" Cecilia shook her head disapprovingly. "You're hopeless, boy. And I thought all the sensitive talk I tried to force into your brain after she moved would work."

"It did. Almost. But now when I see her again, I can feel it. I can feel I'm in love with her again."

BANG!

Cecilia stared at the hallway where the door to Sakura's bedroom had just been slammed shut with abrupt force, and heaved a sigh. "Oh dear…"

---

Sakura flopped down on her bed, anger boiling within her. _Why? Why do I once again feel like this? Upset, mad, sad… it's just like with Don! He just saw me as a friend… he was in love with another person who was close to me… just that this time, it's Cindy…_

She thought for a while, and then came to think of the 'bathroom incident'. _That's right! Last time I was here… it was a year ago, I think… me and mom just stayed here for a couple of hours… and I went to the bathroom…_

_**Flashback.**_

"_Sakura, you needed to go to the bathroom, right? Well, it's over there", her mother said kindly, gesturing at the bathroom door in the hallway. _

"'Kay! See ya in a minute, then!" Sakura exclaimed happily, went to the door and opened it…

… _to receive a real chock. Her eyes widened and she gaped at the sight. Inside was a pink-haired girl in a dark-haired boy's embrace. Their arms were entangled around each other, and their lips were… kissing. It wasn't like the first time Sakura had seen a couple kiss, but this was big stuff. Deep, **deep **French kissing. _

It wasn't like Sakura hadn't French kissed with Don. But it reminded her of… Alisa and Don. She felt tears burning in her eyes again, and before she knew it herself, she was sobbing. The couple looked up, astonished.

_  
"Oh, Sakura", the girl said, looking bored. Sakura recognized her as Cindy. The boy pulled free from their hug. _

"See you some other time, Cindy", he said with disgust and walked past Sakura.

_**End Flashback.**_

_Now when I think of it… he looked like Sasuke-kun… and now I **know**… it **was **Sasuke-kun…_

Tears were streaming down Sakura's cheeks. _Why? Why do I feel like this? Why do I wish that… that **I **were the one he loved and saw in other girls? **WHY? **Am I… nothing more than just a silly friend? Nothing… nothing more?_

And for once, her Inner didn't reply.

---

"Sasuke-sama! It's time for school", a familiar butler's voice awakened him.

"Aa…", Sasuke murmured, sitting up in his bed and rubbing his eyes. He really didn't feel sleepy at all. He had hardly been able to sleep, even.

"Ohayou, foolish little brother!" a happy voice greeted him. He looked up with a grim expression, seeing his older brother standing in the door, grinning broadly.

"Ohayou, _Itachi_", he mumbled, and scrambled out of his bed.

"I see that you're still tired from the party. Where did you go anyway? Cindy asked for you."

Sasuke winced, and blinked at him curiously. "Cindy? Looked for _me_?"

"Yeah." Itachi raised an eyebrow. "What's up with that? Isn't she with Daiki?"

"Hn."

"Sometimes I get tired of your attitude", Itachi sighed. "Can't you improve your vocabulary?"

"Itachi?"

"Yeah?"

"Have you ever needed to… apologize?"

Itachi looked as though Sasuke had asked him to dress as a girl and pretend to sell cookies to the neighbors. "'Course I have. Why wonder?"

"I don't mean the normal apologizing, like just saying sorry for bumping into someone or so. I mean… apologizing to a _girl_… for –"

"What? _You _did something to Cindy?"

"No", Sasuke answered irritably, "It's –"

"Geez, Sasuke, I thought that your social skills had improved since last. You mean you said something nasty again? You really haven't changed at all since you were a kid."

"Listen", Sasuke snarled, "It's –"

"Don't tell me. You were untrue?"

"No, I wasn't!" Sasuke snapped. "Never mind."

Itachi looked at him with an amused smirk, shrugged, and then turned around to exit.

---

"Ohayou, Tenten! Ohayou, Hinata-chan! Ohayou, Kari-chan!" Naruto greeted happily.

"Hey, you forgot me", Ino complained.

"Okay, okay. Ohayou, Ino", Naruto said with a grin. Ino sulked.

"Beat him up, Shika!" she demanded of her boyfriend.

"Nah. Too troublesome", he commented, crossing his arms.

"Do you want me to start dating _James_?" Ino spat with a warning glare. _That _awakened Shikamaru, who marched forward and punched Naruto on the head.

"Ow! What was that for?" Naruto whined.

"For Ino", Shikamaru muttered, going back to his original position – crossing arms.

"Arigatou, Shika-kuuuun!" Ino exclaimed, sticking her arm under his. Shikamaru didn't respond, but he didn't need to; Neji and Sasuke entered.

"Hi", Neji greeted everyone, and then walked forward to Tenten and planted a kiss on her forehead. "Hi, Tenten."

"Hi", she giggled.

"Yo", Sasuke mumbled.

"What's up with ya, teme? You look like you just lost a game of _Dancing Petals_", Naruto teased, and when Sasuke didn't reply, his eyes widened. "You did?"

"No, I didn't, dobe", Sasuke snapped.

"Whoa, somebody is in a bad mood", Naruto commented.

"Whatever", Sasuke muttered. "Where's Sakura anyway?"

"Sakura-chan?" Naruto blinked. "I don't know. We were supposed to meet outside the gates after the party, but we didn't see her. She must've left early. Why do you wonder?"

"Nothing…", Sasuke said, hardly audible.

"Sasuke-kuuuuun!" Kari burst out and threw her arms around his neck. "Ohayouuuuu!"

"Get off", he snarled and pushed her away violently, making her fall right on the floor.

"Don't be so violent, Sasuke", said Tenten with a glare, as she helped her friend up. "What's up with you?"

"Nothing", he replied shortly.

"He has PMS", Naruto said tauntingly.

"You idiot, only girls have PMS", Neji smirked.

"Well, he's a girl", Naruto sneered.

"And who said so?" a voice said behind them. They all whirled around to see a certain girl with short, brownish-gold hair and blue eyes, dressed in a black Ralph Lauren top, a white Versace skirt, a pair of black Gucci high-heels, holding a brown Louis Vuitton handbag. She had a smile plastered onto her face that showed her rows of perfect teeth. **(A/N: Yes, Cindy is a kind of a Mary Sue, but she's not entirely a Mary Sue because if she had been, she would've been kinder and smarter and all that stuff. All Cindy is, is good-looking. But I made her a Mary Sue just because I wanted to make a contrast to Sakura, who's all casual.) **

"Cindy…", Sasuke breathed, who could hardly think because of her breathtaking beauty. In fact, the entire corridor was staring at her – especially the guys who were drooling because of her quite daring and _showing _clothes. The girls cascaded her with looks of awe, admiration and jealousy.

"Cindy", said Kari, looking utterly displeased, as well as Ino.

"Ohayou, everyone", Cindy smiled brightly and walked towards them, her high-heels going 'click-clack, click-clack' as she proceeded through the corridor.

"Hi… Cindy", Naruto said uncomfortably. "Uh… nice-looking you are, today."

"Cindy. What're you doing here?" Neji said with a kind of dry, hard voice, narrowing his eyes.

"Neji", Tenten whispered, but Cindy did a gesture towards her.

"Ah, Tenten, no need to worry. I don't feel insulted at all", she said with a melodic voice that made all the boys in the corridor (with the exception of the four standing in front of her) drool even more. "And… hello, Shikamaru", she added, winking flirtatiously at the genius who merely frowned. But Ino exploded.

"Don't you _dare _flirt with my boyfriend, Cindy Stewart!" she yelled.

"Flirt?" Cindy grinned 'innocently'. "Oh no, I'm not, _Ino_. I'm merely blinking. I got something in the eye. Got a problem with that? And oh… I didn't know that such a dumbhead like you would go out with such a genius. Kind of amusing."

"You…", Ino began hissing, but Shikamaru put a hand on her shoulder.

"Never mind her, Ino. You're great in my eyes", he murmured in her ear. Ino calmed down, but still looked protectively at her boyfriend, and then furiously at Cindy.

"Well, well, well. Seems like things haven't changed much since last I was here", said Cindy cheerfully as though nothing had happened. "Ino and Shikamaru are together… hmm, what more. Oh, Neji-_kun_! I didn't see you at first!"

She looked with a sweet smile on her lips at the Hyuuga prodigy, whose eyes narrowed even more, pulling Tenten closer to him.

"Ah… so you and Tenten are together, ne?" She glanced at the brunette who frowned slightly. "Interesting, interesting… and _you_, Sasuke-kun, are free, I can guess? Still waiting for me, hmm?" She looked smugly at her ex-boyfriend, who stared back.

"Actually", Naruto said loudly, "He's been hanging around an awful lot with Sakura-chan lately –"

"But I've heard _rumors _that he's only been doing that because of me, hasn't he?" Cindy interrupted him with a meaningful look at Kari.

"… Well, he has me", Kari responded with a shrill voice as she noticed everyone looking at her, attempting to cling to Sasuke's arm, but Sasuke pushed her away once more.

"Get off", he snapped.

"Doesn't seem so", Cindy said over-sweetly and walked over to Sasuke, now sticking her arm under his. "Why don't you show me around, Sasuke-kun? I've missed Sakura Mankai High."

"Sure", Sasuke shrugged, and began to walk away, the others staring after him. Kari bit her lip angrily.

---

"You know… it feels kind of empty without Sakura here", Tenten remarked during the silence of lunch break, if you didn't count with Cindy of course, who was babbling happily about her stay at US. Otherwise, everyone at the table was silent.

"Yeah…", Ino sighed with a dark look in Cindy's direction. Cindy, however, noticed nothing and continued to babble with Sasuke, who seemed, though as impossible as it may seem, interested of her nonsense-talking.

"Where's Kari-chan, by the way?" Hinata asked, who had by now stopped stuttering at times.

"With James, as always", Tenten responded, wrinkling her forehead. "I wonder what the two of them are up to…?"

Suddenly, James appeared from nowhere, and grinning broadly, he asked: "Where's my beloved cherry blossom?"

"If you mean Sakura", Sasuke answered coolly, "She's not here today."

"Oh, sick is she, my cherry blossom?" James smiled scornfully with a smug look at Sasuke. "I dare say she's sick… but sick of a _certain _person…"

"Shut up", Sasuke snarled.

"My, my, Sasuke-kun… don't get so upset", said Cindy sweetly. "After all, you're hanging around merely with my cousin because she's like me, don't you? And now that I'm here… you've no worries, do you?"

"Really, that's _interesting_… that explains your protectiveness of her", James smirked.

"Sasuke-teme…", Naruto began, half-startled and half-angry, but was interrupted by Ino, who stood abruptly up.

"Sasuke!" she thundered. "How could you do this to Sakura? I thought you two were _friends_, least to say! And now you tell us you've only been hanging around her because of _her_!" She pointed accusingly at Cindy.

"I –", Sasuke began, but was cut across by Cindy, who was sneering.

"Jealous, Ino? Why, I thought you were over Sasuke…"

"So I am! I've a boyfriend I love, and I'm proud of it, unlike you who flirt around with a dozen men or so!" Ino spat back.

"I don't!" Cindy burst out with a shrill voice.

"Hi, have you guys seen Sakura –", Gaara started as he came to their table accompanied by Temari, but was rudely interrupted by Sasuke who shot him a cold death glare.

"No, we've not. She's ill today. Why wonder?"

"Well, uh… she just phoned Temari and asked whether or not we could do the homework together…", Gaara replied, looking clearly uncomfortable. **(A/N: Poor, poor Gaara-chan... T.T)**

"She's in our group, if she wants to do homework, she'll do it with us", Sasuke responded.

"Sure about that, Uchiha? Of what I can recall of the rumors I've heard, she's a bit mad with you…", James commented with a smirk.

"What's going on, really? Is it something about yesterday?" Tenten wanted to know.

"Sure it is", James laughed meanly. "But I've got to go now. I just wanted to know where Sakura-chan was… Kari is waiting for me. See you around."

He waved and left, followed by Gaara who didn't seem too comfortable with what had just happened, but Temari raised an eyebrow.

"May I be informed of what's going on?" she asked.

"Nothing, my _dear _Temari", Cindy smiled. "It's merely –"

"Oh, don't you 'dear' me, Cindy", Temari interrupted her, looking annoyed. "Of what I can remember, we've never been 'dear' and we'll never be."

"I see. Well, it's fine by me."

"I've no clue what's going on either", said Hinata confusedly.

"Sasuke… you said to Sakura that you were just hanging around with her because she was like Cindy…?" Shikamaru said quietly.

"WHAT!" Tenten exclaimed, and then fire appeared in her eyes and she charged at Sasuke. "YOU… YOU…!"

"Calm down, Tenten!" Neji cried and caught hold of her arm, holding her back.

"BUT HE… HE…!"

"Let's listen to his explanation", Neji said calmly and dragged her back to her seat. Sitting down, still with a sour face, Tenten glared daggers at Sasuke, who remained icy and calm.

"I didn't say anything", he said coldly.

"Then why does everyone know about it?" Ino exploded again.

"Well, because it's obvious that it's true, Ino", Cindy responded with sickly sweet again.

Silence. Then…

"Let's go, Shika. I don't want to sit with slime", Ino said in disgust, dragging away her boyfriend who didn't utter another word.

"Yeah, and I've lost my appetite", Tenten said, apparently disgusted too, and walked away with Neji.

"C'mon, Hinata-chan", Naruto urged her, and took her wrist, much to Hinata's embarrassment who blushed, but didn't protest.

"Well… seems like only you and I are left", Cindy said with a silky voice to Sasuke, leaning close so that her hot breath tickled his cheek. He shivered out of pleasure.

_I'm sorry, Sakura…_, he thought as Cindy kissed his cheek softly. He turned around, and for one shocking moment, he almost thought she was Sakura. Pink hair… green eyes…

Wait, _green _eyes? Weren't they blue?

He looked again, and bent forward to touch her lips with his own. No, it was Cindy, not Sakura.

But why did he then feel as though it was Sakura he was kissing?

**Tsukiko: **Sorry for the delay, I'm ill and busy, and yesterday when I had almost finished answering all reviews, my dad got really mad at me and just exited the window without even giving me a chance to save, and he didn't even apologize -.-; Gomen nasai... the next chapter is up September 6th.

**Reviews Corner:**

I'm really, REALLY, sorry, guys... T.T I really wanted to reply all the wonderful reviews, and I love y'all, but I'm sooo tired and hungry right now (I need to eat after this), so I don't really think I can respond them... x.x; I hope it's okay... but I just want you all to know that you're great, and I love your reviews:D Keep on reviewing!

And oh, I'm going to respond your reviews in next chapter instead ;) I hope you won't mind... gomen nasai x.x

_Sneak Preview of Next Chapter: Troublesome Trouble! Shikamaru's Plan_

"I've no plan as of yet. But listen", he added, lowering his voice as a giggling Cindy, clinging to Sasuke, walked past the library's open door. "I've heard some rumors… that Sakura is dating James."

Everyone stared at him, gaping.


	20. Author's Note

Dear readers,

I'm very happy for all the reviews I've received. The impatience, the wait for a new chapter, means so much to me, you know? I mean, that's what _I _feel when I usually read others' fanfics. And all th wonderful comments! I love y'all.

I'm very sorry for the late updates. I was going to update it today, after what I thought would be a refreshing chat with a very good friend of mine... my best friend actually, who, coincidentally, also happens to be my first real love.

Then when I get to school... I'm all stressed, as every other Monday morning. I'm late for biology class, and I'm ten minutes late as usual. Then after about twenty minutes, they call all the teachers and tell them to go to the 'big gathering-place', I don't know what it's called in English, it's Swedish it's 'aula', there's a big stage and plenty of chairs.

Of course we students are excited. Now we get a longer break! Then we talk about what might possibly have happened, and we joke about possible events.

Then... suddenly... my other best friend rushes to me, and says that the other people in her class has said it's _him_, (let's call him Zed for now, I don't want to say his real name, that's his screen name when we chat), he has... died.

I stare at her in disbelief. "What?" I say. I heard perfectly clear what she just said. She looks at me back (she has no idea that I love him. Or should I say, had, she knows now), and says, "Well, I don't know if it's true, it might just be a joke, I don't really believe it..."

And I don't want to believe it either. I mean, _Zed_. Zed, _dead_? Excuse me? We talked on the phone for one and a half hour just three days ago, and the day before yesterday he was nagging me about going swimming with him!

And I start crying, walking away with my friends to the petrol station behind the school, sitting on the ground, just repeating over and over again, "It's a joke, right? It's a joke... he can't be dead, goddammit! I didn't even HAVE the chance to... to tell him! It's only a rumor. A joke. Right?"

But some part of me knows it's true. It's like this voice whispering to me from the depths of my brain, "You know it can't be a joke... why would someone joke about something as serious as this?"

But out of ALL +500 people at my school, why HIM?

Then my other friends rush to me. They tell me not to cry, calm down... but it's true. Our teacher told us. It's fully true. He died... in a motorbike crash.

And it literally feels as though a hole opened up in the ground and sucked me down, then threw me all the way up again. Zed? Impossible.

I mean, how NORMAL is that? Your normal high school crush, or first love, ends up being a total fiasco, what with him not liking you or whatnot, or he liking another girl, and yeah, there WAS this melodramatic love triangle thing, and it was just like in a book... and like a book it ends. In a tragedy.

I'm really sorry, guys. For the meantime, I can't really continue updating this fic. In about a couple of weeks or something, maybe. Because... it hurts so much to say it, but this fic, it was dedicated to him.

I never even had the time to tell him what I felt. What he meant to me. That practically everything I write, everything SasuSaku, everything ShikaIno or NaruHina, is actually about him. Everything...

I mean, just yesterday I was sulking over the fact that he DIDN'T write anything cute in an entire week. That he hadn't even logged in that night to check on me, to cheer me up or anything.

I didn't realize that yesterday afternoon, while I was baking a pie sulking over the fact that he hadn't logged in to chat specifically with me or that he hadn't written anything cute for an entire week, he had passed away on the way to the hospital.

It feels melodramatic. Like something in a book, something in a movie; something that _I _have created, something I've written, like a fanfic or something. It seems so UNREAL. He's my best friend. My first love.

And then it all ends like this?

I didn't even manage to tell him that this fic, that he thought was so good, was dedicated to HIM! That despite calling him Shikamaru, I really wished he was Sasuke, because he kept saying I was like Sakura, and he knows I'm this huge SasuSaku fan? Did he ever realize that the main source of my love for SasuSaku was the fact that I wanted an impossible fairy tale dream come true? And that it really had, when I was with him... until now?

He didn't even tell me, what _he _felt. Was it really jealousy back then when I told him about the crush I had on a guy that, now, I find out, practically was friends with him, but he back then said that they were neutral?

And was he really honest when he said that he was never going to lie to me, then not long afterwards he said there was a chance he'd fall in love with me, and I said the same about him? Despite having promised not to lie to him, I lied again... in fear of confronting him, in fear of losing our precious friendship... losing that sparkle of chemistry that I had always hoped for... those flirty, yet so honest compliments...

And then, he's just gone.

I know he's here somewhere still. But...

... I can't ever talk to him again...

... I can just hope he can hear me.

Rest in peace, my most beloved friend.

- Tsukiko


	21. Troublesome Trouble! Shikamaru's Plan

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Naruto.

---

♥ Chapter XX: Troublesome Trouble! Shikamaru's Plan♥  
---

**_  
_**  
"So?"

"'So' what?" said Shikamaru, slightly annoyed.

"What's your plan, genius?" Naruto asked, crossing his arms, looking highly displeased.

"I've no plan as of yet. But listen", he added, lowering his voice as a giggling Cindy, clinging to Sasuke, walked past the library's open door. "I've heard some rumors… that Sakura is dating James."

Everyone stared at him, gaping.

"WHAT!" Ino, Naruto and Tenten shouted, looking half-furious and half-surprised.

"My dears, please be quiet", said the librarian, looking distressed.

"I told you to listen", Shikamaru hissed as Sakura and James passed, chattering happily.

"OK, we're listening", Neji said, putting a hand on Tenten's shoulder which was quivering out of an odd combination of rage, shock, sadness and other explosive feelings.

"We've no evidence yet that Sasuke is dating Cindy", Shikamaru explained.

"But they're together all the time!" Naruto complained. "And they're… they're snogging, damnit!"

"Shh!" Temari hushed him. "Continue, Shikamaru."

"Well, they're together all the time, and they're making out, but it doesn't prove anything. It could just be that Cindy is flirty as she always is, it doesn't actually mean that they're officially dating."

"Of course not", Ino frowned. "Because she's officially dating his cousin."

"Yeah. Which means that if we can awaken some guilt in Sasuke, maybe we could make him realize the situation and have him push away Cindy", Shikamaru finished.

"But that wouldn't work." Naruto wrinkled his forehead.

"Why?" Ino demanded to know, and gave Naruto a 'don't-insult-my-boyfriend's-intelligence-if-you-don't-want-to-die' look.

"Because Sasuke's cousin was the mere reason why Cindy broke up with him to begin with", Neji filled in. "That'd mean he wouldn't mind making Cindy cheat on his cousin."

"Heartless teme", Tenten muttered, and then added: "But how about Sakura? Any ideas?"

"I-I've one. I… I think so, at t-t-the very l-least", Hinata stammered, raising her left hand slightly.

"We're eager to hear you, Hinata-chan", Naruto encouraged her. Hinata blushed and gave him a grateful glance, before saying:

"Sakura-chan w-would probably b-b-be easier to calm d-down if C-Cindy-san left."

"Hmm, yeah. Anyone knows when she's leaving?" Temari asked. They all shook their heads.

"But firstly", said Shikamaru, "We need to know what happened clearly. We need clear facts, not 'maybe'-rumors and 'if'-guesses. First of all, we need to clear out that conversation from the day before yesterday."

"So it all began with James coming." Tenten arched her eyebrows thoughtfully. "And he asked where Sakura was, didn't he?"

"And then someone answered that she wasn't here, I think", Ino added. "And then James said something that made Sasuke-kun mad…"

"Aha. There's a clue", Shikamaru said, with a slight smirk.

"I think he said that Sakura was sick. But that couldn't have made Sasuke angry, could it?" Tenten looked puzzled.

"He might've been the cause of her illness. But that seems highly impossible, unless there was poisoned food or similar at the party", Neji added. "It must've been an event at the party that they were talking about. Sakura seemed perfectly healthy and content before the party."

"Yeah. Maybe she skipped school?" Temari suggested.

"Sakura-chan? Never", Naruto answered with a tone of disbelief in his voice.

"What did she say after that?" Shikamaru wondered.

"Well, Cindy said something like, 'You're hanging around with my cousin only because of me'." Ino sighed. "I don't get this at all."

"M-maybe she meant that S-Sasuke-kun was with S-Sakura-chan b-because she w-was like C-Cindy-san…", Hinata stammered.

"Hmm. That'd be a good enough reason for Sakura to stay at home", said Neji.

The conversation continued. At last, they had gathered enough details to get what was going on.

"That teme…!" Naruto spat. "He was with Sakura just because… just because she was like _Cindy_? And then he dumped her because of that… that… that…"

Naruto couldn't find any suitable words, and argued hotheadedly with her brain to find a good insult.

"… bitch?" Ino supplied helpfully.

"Yea", Naruto finished, content.

"That doesn't sound like Sasuke", Shikamaru frowned.

"Yeah… you're right." Tenten frowned too. "We all know Sasuke as a nasty ice cube, but seriously… _use _Sakura for that? She's not a tool!"

"You've got a point there. Maybe it's a misunderstanding…", Neji said and heaved a sigh. The other sighed too. Their planning was getting nowhere…

"How troublesome", Shikamaru commented as always, and everyone sighed again.

---

"Sasuke-kuuuuun, what do you think about my dress?" said Cindy with her most charming voice. Sasuke felt for a moment to tell her to act normal, when he realized that Cindy was acting normal… at least, what was normal for _her_.

"Hn", Sasuke simply responded. He hid a grimace. He didn't like Cindy's dress at all; it was white, pretty and short… but every time he saw it he wanted to puke. Sure, Cindy _was _pretty, but it just didn't suit her… he fought with his mind for a while for the perfect model in the dress, and found a satisfying image of a girl in the dress, a girl with green eyes and pink hair -

What was he thinking about again? Sasuke shook off the thought. _Why do I keep thinking about Sakura? _he thought furiously as Cindy babbled on about all the new dresses she had bought.

"Sakura", he said with slight annoyance, "Shut up. You're annoying."

Cindy frowned.

And frowned.

And frowned.

"What?" Sasuke said, even more irritated.

"Sasuke-kun", Cindy said accusingly. "My name is _not _Sakura."

Oops.

"_And _don't tell me to shut up. That's very rude, in case you haven't noticed. Besides, annoying is the least I can call _you_, because all you ever say is 'hn' and 'aa'."

"Hn."

"See, there you go again!"

_You're supposed to ask whether it's a 'yes' or 'no' when I say 'hn'. You're supposed to say 'oh, sure' when I tell you to shut up, _he thought, frustrated.

**_That's not Cindy_**, Inner Sasuke yawned. **_That's Sakura. She says all the stuff you were thinking about before._**

"Sasuke-kun, are you angry with me?" Cindy said with a sweet voice and leaned closer to him. "Hm? Hm?"

_Yes_, Sasuke answered in his thoughts. _Because you're not acting normal._

"Don't be angry, okay?" she continued softly and leaned in to kiss him. Sasuke responded the kiss with closed eyes, but when the kiss ended and they both opened their eyes, he thought once again that Cindy had pink hair and green eyes.

_CINDY HAS BLUE EYES, NOT GREEN! _he yelled in his mind.

**_Can you be quiet? I'm trying to listen to my iPod_**, Inner Sasuke answered.

"Sasuke-kun? You look weird? What is it?" Cindy chirped.

_I can't tell her. She'd go berserk, _Sasuke thought.

"Nothing", he grunted.

"Oh, you're so grumpy", Cindy pouted. "Why can't you be a little romantic?"

"What do you want me to say? 'My beloved cherry blossom'?" Sasuke made a grimace.

"That sounds like a good nickname, Sasuke-kun", Cindy beamed. Sasuke vomited in his mind.

**_HEY! Why must I always clean up after you? _**Inner Sasuke complained as he watched Sasuke throwing up inwardly.

"Sakura, that's what James calls you", Sasuke said after some inner puking.

"For the forty-eleventh time this morning, Sasuke-kun, I'm not called Sakura! My name is Cindy! C-I-N-D-Y!" Cindy then calmed down and smiled with a sickly sweetness again. "You must've been with her too much when you were missing me, ne? That's so cute of you… Sasuke-kun."

And they kissed again.

_Yeah, that must be it_, Sasuke thought as the kiss deepened. _I must've hung around with Sakura too much when Cindy was away, and that's why I keep thinking Cindy is Sakura now. _

But he had a feeling it wasn't the truth.

---

"My dearest cherry blossom", said James in his most seducing voice, "You look wonderful today. Simply _wonderful_."

Sakura hid a grimace as he bent forward and kissed her cheek. "Uh… arigatou, James", she tried to thank him gratefully, as she started walking with a quick pace to prevent him from kissing her any further.

Suddenly, she felt herself crashing into someone.

"Ouch!" said Sakura as she fell backwards onto the floor. In front of her stood a very familiar person with black chicken-hairstyle, accompanied by none other than an even more familiar person with gold-brown hair and blue eyes.

"Sakura", sneered Cindy scornfully.

"Are you okay –", Sasuke began, but was interrupted by James.

"My beloved cherry blossom, how are you? Did that bastard hurt you?" James shot Sasuke a nasty glare, but Sasuke growled menacingly without the slightest trace of fright.

"I feel pretty alright", Sakura responded as she arose, taking James' hand. She saw Sasuke twitch a second, to her delight, as James' grasp of her hand tightened slightly.

"Sakura, can we talk for a moment?" Sasuke asked abruptly.

"I'm sorry, _Sasuke_", Sakura replied coolly, narrowing her eyes and emphasizing the fact that she didn't pronounce the suffix '-kun'. "I'm actually speaking with James-_kun _right now, aren't I, James-kun?" She beamed up at James, who kissed her cheek, and she saw Sasuke twitch again.

"Yes, you are, my beloved cherry blossom", he murmured and kissed her other cheek too.

Twitch. Twitch.

"… Oh, James-kun", she sighed with pretended happiness.

Twitch. Twitch.

"Sakura-chan…" James bent down to kiss her…

"Let's go, Cindy", Sasuke muttered and began dragging away Cindy, much to her dismay.

"Ouch! Let go, Sasuke-kun! It hurts! Ow… where're we going!"

Sakura pulled away from James' kiss as soon as Sasuke had disappeared out of sight, feeling as nauseous as though she had just kissed a frog. Or even worse, a slug.

Which she had just done. She had kissed the perverted slug James.

Sakura ran for the toilets. "Where're you going, my dear cherry blossom?" James called after her.

Sakura didn't answer. Halfway to the toilets, she leaned towards a wall and ejected the hamburger she had had for lunch.

---

"James, our plan was to drive Sakura away from Sasuke-kun so I could've him and you could have Sakura!" Kari spat at him in a shadowy, empty corner of the schoolyard. "How can you abandon me _now_? Our plan is far from complete! Have you realized that _that_ thing Cindy is still together with Sasuke-kun?"

James shrugged. "I don't care. My part of the plan has succeeded. I've gotten Sakura as my girlfriend, and there's nothing more I could ask for."

"Really?" Kari smirked a ruthless smirk. "How do you know if she won't return once Sasuke-kun's dear Cindy leaves, eh? Don't you want to assure that Cindy leaves _now _so that Sasuke-kun can be mine and Sakura yours?"

"Certainly not. If she returns to that bastard once Cindy leaves, I'll make her stay forever. And if Cindy still leaves, then we'll just have to solve the problem _then _and after that, everything will be fine."

Kari gritted her teeth and clenched her fist. "Is that what I get as thanks, eh? I help you two get together, and you can't even help me get Sasuke-kun? How cruel of you."

"I warned you I'd stop cooperate once I got Sakura", James reminded her with a cold voice. "And if you don't mind, I'll return to her now."

"Do you want me to tell her that you actually _planned _with me that we'd drive her and Sasuke-kun apart from each other? Is that you want?" Kari threatened.

"Ah, if I must be reminded, I can remember that _you _were the one saying the final thing that drove her away from the bastard. Why would she believe you when you've betrayed you two's friendship?"

_Damn_, Kari swore in her thoughts. _And I thought that he was stupid… _

"Therefore, I'm sorry to announce our plan has come to an end. Goodbye", said James and walked away, leaving an angered Kari.

---

"Well, I've a plan", Shikamaru sighed as the group met again after school.

"Finally. We've been discussing this all day, and I've already received a headache due to all thinking", Ino groaned, and massaged her hurt head.

"So what's your plan?" Tenten asked, ignoring her friend's complaints.

"I don't think you'll like it, but it's our last chance…" Shikamaru heaved another sigh. "How troublesome."

**Happy 300 reviews! I'm glad that I've received so many reviews, all thanks to you guys. Please continue to review!  
Thank you for the patience (even though I've to say to some, if you were SO eager to see updates, why didn't you bother reading WHY I can't update? -.-). I'll update once in a while, when I feel for doing so, and I hope you won't mind that. Right at the moment, I've caught a cold, is sitting here coughing so hard in front of the computer it feels like I'm gonna throw up, have been crying so hard my eyes sting (his funeral is on Thursday, and I don't wanna go because it means I'm letting go of him, that I know he's gone, which I don't wanna do), feels like my world is upside-down.**

And thanks for all the concern guys... I know I'm not alone. I've my friends and family irl, all who're very supportive (even though some are lesser -.-)... but still, I miss Zed. Really, really much. And it feels really hard to write anything right now. (For you who're really impatient, the next chapter is already done, I'm working on the twenty-fifth chapter right now and despite trying, my writing feels so "soulless", so... empty.

Right now, I'm depressed, confused and angry. I swear, if I meet that motorbike rider someday, I'm gonna kill him for sure. And I'm normally not a particularly violent person since I'm not really strong (if you don't count with my nails), but once I get mad... you should look out. And if that GODDAMNED motorbike rider is reading this, then... FUCK YOU, YOU ASSHOLE, YOU SON OF A BITCH, YOU IDIOTIC BASTARD... (Sporty Thievz - Hitmen: I want him dead. I don't care how you do it, I don't care when you do it, I just want him dead. I want his mother dead, I want his father dead... I want his DOG dead!)

Sorry for bothering you with my personal problems. Gomen nasai gozaimasu.


	22. The Double Date

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Naruto.

---

♥ Chapter XXI: The Double Date ♥  
---

"Anou… Sasuke-kuuuun?" Cindy chirped. Sasuke resisted the urge to once more tell her to shut up – he received a headache at the sound of her voice.

_I want her to have a normal voice, _he thought, frustrated. _Such as, for example… _

"Arigatou, Sasuke-kun! That was so nice of you!" a familiar voice echoed in his head. Sasuke's irritation blew away immediately, replaced by… sadness?

_"Please!... Sasuke-kun… no… more…" _

"Sasuke-kun, you're really kind too. You're… perfect. Almost. Just that nobody can be entirely perfect, ne? Though to me… you are. Maybe you're an exception…"

"He… he never liked me. I thought he did… so when I told him about my feelings… he pretended to feel the same…"

"Let's go shopping!" said Cindy with her loud, shrill voice. Sasuke didn't hear it.

_"I don't know… but it feels like… as though we've met before… doesn't it, Sasuke-kun?" _

That soft, smooth voice… Sasuke felt his heart ache; he missed it so…

"Sasuke-_kun_!"

Sasuke looked up at the sudden interruption with slight annoyance. "What, Cindy?"

"I said, 'let's go shopping'!"

"Hn", he grunted as she began to drag him towards the shopping center.

---

_  
_"Hello, my most beloved cherry blossom", James said in his most seducing voice. Sakura felt a wave of nausea strike her, and felt the very familiar urge to throw up.

"H… hello", she pressed herself to say with a fake smile. _I don't know how long I'll manage this… _

"Did you wait for long?"

_Actually, I did_, she thought in her mind, but answered sweetly: "Uh… no."

"Well, how good, then, my dear cherry blossom. What do you want to do?" He grinned sheepishly. "I've no plans today, I thought you might want to decide…"

_Well, that's sweet_, Sakura admitted in her thoughts. "Er… I don't know, actually."

"Shopping, maybe? I've heard all girls are shopaholics."

Sakura grinned. "Well… kind of. You're sure you're ready to go through the torture?"

"I think so", James replied with a broad smile that awakened Sakura's wish to vomit again.

"Okay, then, let's go!" she exclaimed, looking away as quickly as possible to avoid the sight of the sickness-awakening sight that she called her boyfriend.

---

_  
_"What do you think about _this_, Sasuke-kuuun?" Cindy twirled around in front of the bored teen, dressed in a white shirt with sleeves that reached her elbows but showed her slender waist, a black vest that reached the exact same point as the shirt, a low-waist denim skirt and a pair of black, high-heeled boots.

_You look terrific in it… terrifically ugly_, Sasuke grimaced inwardly. "Hn."

"Sasuke-kun!" said Cindy accusingly and crossed her arms. "You're so boring! At least Daiki-san would've said…"

"I don't care about what Daiki would say or not. If you think Daiki is more suiting for shopping than me, then go shopping with him, then", Sasuke cut her off, giving her a look of disapproval.

"But I want to be with _you_, Sasuke-kun…", she murmured with a voice that Sasuke supposed should sound sexy, but sounded as though she had a throat problem.

Sasuke opened his mouth to say something, but just then, he heard two familiar voices speak right next to them:

"My loveliest cherry blossom, you simply look _adorable_."

"Um… really? I think it looks a bit… er… extreme", Sakura – because it was without a doubt Sakura – commented nervously and fingered on her evening gown. Sasuke almost lost his breath at the sight of her; she was unnaturally pretty… like a _goddess_… and yet, it didn't seem exaggerated as with Cindy…

Sakura's hair had been cut short and was neatly put into some kind of horsetail that made the hair's ends look as though some soft, fluffy mini-fan, and around her neck there was some sort of red, glittery silk scarf that went with her red, glittery evening gown that exposed her slim body. Her arms were covered with red, matching gloves that went up to her elbows, and her feet were decorated with red high-heeled shoes.

Cindy looked enviously at Sakura, and then commented nastily: "Well, there we find something that suits you… for _once_."

Sakura's and James' heads turned at her voice and stared at first Cindy, and then Sasuke. Sasuke, however, was busy glaring at Cindy, though she didn't notice, because she was smirking with scorn at Sakura.

"Oh. _You_", said Sakura coldly and narrowed her eyes at the sight of Sasuke.

"I didn't expect this store to sell clothes to scum", remarked James with a sneer. "Well, then, Sakura, why don't you change clothes, and let's leave then. I'd rather go somewhere else –"

"No, wait", Sasuke interrupted him. All three stared at him, but his eyes remained calmly at Sakura. "Why don't we have a double date?"

---

_  
_After some nagging, sulking, arguing and scornful retorts, the other three finally accepted his request. And the double date began.

What the four _lovebirds _didn't know was that someone was spying on them.

And that… or more precisely, _those _someone's were Naruto, Hinata, Neji, Tenten, Shikamaru, Ino, Chouji and Temari.

"Sasuke-teme doesn't seem that stupid, after all", Naruto muttered as they saw Cindy and Sakura drag Sasuke and James towards a perfume boutique.

"Yeah, that's pretty smart of him", Ino agreed. "But Shika is smarter!" She beamed at her boyfriend, who rolled his eyes and said 'How troublesome' as response.

---

_  
_"Sasuke-kuun, doesn't this smell _wonderful_? And I bet", Cindy added as she bashed her eyelashes at him flirtingly, "That it'll smell even better on _you_."

"Don't be silly, Cindy. It's a girl's perfume", Sasuke remarked calmly as he watched from his eyecorner how James and Sakura browsed the shelf beside them. Sakura was looking eagerly at a "slender", golden bottle of perfume.

"Oh, but everything smells good on you, Sasuke-kun. Everything looks good on you too. You –" Cindy leaned close so that her breath tickled his left ear, "- are perfect, Sasuke-kun."

_"Sasuke-kun, you're really kind too. You're… perfect. Almost. Just that nobody can be entirely perfect, ne? Though to me… you are. Maybe you're an exception…" _

"Nobody's perfect, Cindy", Sasuke replied and walked away from her. "And besides, Sakura, are you going to buy that bottle or not? We've been standing here for ages now."

Sakura gave him a glare, but Sasuke only smirked back. "Sasuke, whether or not I'll buy this bottle is none of your business. It was, in case you forgot, _you _who came up with the idiotic suggestion that we should've a double date."

"I know. I haven't forgotten."

"Then you should be patient", she growled, "And the answer is _yes_, I'm going to buy it."

"Give me the bottle then", said Sasuke, still wearing the infamous Uchiha smirk that everyone knew so well.

"Why?" Sakura looked half-confused and half-suspicious as her glare intensified.

"Just do it", Sasuke replied with a mere shrug. Very doubtfully, Sakura at last put the golden bottle in his outstretched hand. Then, to everyone's surprise, Sasuke walked towards the counter and asked the lady behind the counter, "How much?" but in French.

"Uh...cinquante euro, monsieur", she stuttered back.

Sasuke gave her the fifty euros the perfume had cost, and then walked back to the most surprised Sakura, Cindy and James.

"Here", he said with an almost bored voice and extended the perfume to her. Hesitantly, Sakura took it.

"A... rigatou...", she responded uncertainly.

"Anyhow, Sasuke-kun!" Cindy now almost bellowed, "Let's go to another shop! Come on!"

---

"Good job, Sasuke!" Tenten commented and did the thumbs-up.

"Hey, don't I get any compliments?" Neji pretended to whine.

"Yeah, yeah. You're awesome, Neji!" Tenten grinned at him, and he grinned back.

"Okay, lovebirds", Naruto coughed, "They're going to some... café now. How the heck are we going to spy on them there?"

"Easy. Join them", Shikamaru replied with a yawn.

"You're so smart, Shika!" Ino exclaimed.

"Yeah, yeah. How troublesome", Shikamaru muttered.

"Lovebirds", Naruto mumbled and rolled his eyes.

"Hey, Naruto", Neji said with an amused smirk and a raised eyebrow, "Aren't you... being jealous now?"

"Me? Jealous?" Naruto snorted. "Ha! Why would I be jealous?"

"Maybe because you don't have a girlfriend", Ino sneered.

"Well, Hinata-chan doesn't have any boyfriend either", Naruto defended himself.

"You said it...", Tenten chuckled mischievously.

"... Hey! But Temari and Chouji don't have any either!" Naruto swiftly added.

"Yeah, but we're fine with being single", Temari smirked. "But you and Hinata..."

"D-don't get any s-s-stupid ideas n-now, T-Temari-san!" Hinata burst out, red in the face.

"Hai, hai." Temari rolled her eyes. "Are we going to interfere or not?"

---

"... and then he just said, 'Wow, James, you're super cool!' and I said, 'yeah, I know...'"

Sakura tried to stifle her yawns of boredom and instead commented with a fake smile, "Uh, how _brave_ of you, James-kun..."

"Thanks, my most beloved cherry blossom", James replied with his deepest voice, which he assumed sounded cool.

"You have a throat problem?" said Sasuke with nasty sarcasm. James glared at him, and so did Sakura, to Sasuke's dismay.

"At least", she replied coolly, "he doesn't have a _personality _problem."

"Oh, like your personality is so perfect", Cindy retorted with a scornful sneer.

"She's far better than you", they heard a voice say behind them. The four's heads turned to see Ino, clutching Shikamaru's arm, and Tenten, smiling a not-so-happy smile close to Neji, who had a blank face expression. Behind them were Naruto and Hinata, who were both quiet, and while Naruto had a weird grimace that was supposedly a false grin, Hinata did not smile at all.

"Well, Ino-_chan_", Cindy said, every little word pronounced with the utmost scorn, "I don't think anyone cares about what _you _think."

"You're wrong. I do, for example", Shikamaru cut across her.

"I guess I just have to say your IQ must have sunk to zero then, Shikamaru. What a waste", Cindy remarked with an ironic smile.

"Why, you...!" Ino raised her fist, but Tenten caught it.

"Calm it, Ino. We aren't here to fight", she said calmly, but with menace.

"Hn!" Ino lowered her fist, but still glowered as she glared daggers at Cindy.

"We just wanted to ask if we could join you", Hinata requested without even stammering. Sakura looked, astonished, at her.

"Of course you can –", she began, but Cindy cut her off.

"And who says they can? You're not the only one sitting here, Sakura!"

"Of what I remember", Sasuke interrupted her coldly, "You're not the only one sitting here either."

Cindy's cheeks became a light shade of pink. "Sasuke-kun...!"

Sakura looked even more astonished, but Sasuke didn't meet her gaze. Instead, he stared at the others, who exchanged glances before sitting down with wide grins on their faces.

"So, what're you guys up to?" Naruto asked as innocently as possible.

"Double-dating. But I guess you know already, it's so typical you to spy on us", Sakura replied with a look of suspicion at them. They, however, only laughed nervously (except Shikamaru and Neji) and said they weren't spying on them at all and had come across them out of a coincidence.

"Ne, Sakura... you're dating _him_?" Ino asked as she looked accusingly at James.

"He's not so bad, you know", Sakura replied with a little smile. "He's handsome, and cool, and kind –"

"Kind enough to harass you, eh?" Sasuke snarled. "Kissed you and almost lifted your skirt, that pervert... I wonder what'd have happened if I hadn't rescued you then..."

Everyone just stared at him.

"Naniiiii! Sasuke-teme has rescued Sakura from James!" Naruto yelled.

"Say what? He... he... he... THAT PERVERT!" Ino shrieked.

"You rescued her from _him_? So that's why she was at your place!" Tenten exclaimed.

"She was at his place? Sakura was at _your _place? That's true?" Neji goggled at him as though Sasuke had just said he liked cross-dressing or something.

"Oh my god... how... how _defiling_... he… he _harassed _her…", Hinata commented weakly.

"Sasuke-kun! You _did _that? And you brought her... to... to _YOUR _place!" Cindy screamed.

"I certainly didn't!" James shouted. "I've not as much as _touched _her skirt –"

"Wouldn't surprise me if you did", Shikamaru snapped and narrowed his eyes, "The other day I saw you sneaking your hand to lift Ino's –"

"He did WHAT? He did WHEN? He did... OH MY GOD, JAMES, YOU'RE DEAD!" Ino growled.

"I DID NOT!" James screeched.

"SHUT UP!" the entire café yelled at them.

---

"Sasuke, did you have to _tell _everyone that?" Sakura hissed. Sasuke didn't respond. Instead, he raised his eyebrow slightly. Sakura had just dragged him away from the others who were now totally berserk and were arguing on an extremely high volume.

"Yes. Is there something wrong with it?" Sasuke asked bluntly.

"Of course there is! He's my boyfriend now!" Sakura snarled.

"I don't care. It's the truth." Sasuke narrowed his eyes. "Besides, I don't see what you see in _him_. He's perverted, and so you know."

"He has changed, Sasuke. People change." Sakura glared at him. "You didn't have to embarrass him in front of the others! Now they're going to hate him! And by the way... I don't see what you see in _her_. She's loathsome, and so you know", she added sarcastically.

Sasuke's eyebrow raised further. "I thought she was your cousin?"

"Yeah. But you change opinion, don't you? Just as..." Sakura took a deep breath, and looked him straight in the eyes. Something pierced Sasuke's heart when he realized her eyes were filled with tears... and hatred. "... Just as I thought you were my _friend_!"

She waited for him to say anything. To stop her. To say she was wrong.

She looked him straight in the eyes again. Sasuke's eyes were expressionless, and he said nothing. He didn't even seem to intend to move; he looked like a very realistic statue where he stood. Clenching her fist, Sakura stomped away towards the others and began dragging James away from the group.

And Sasuke only looked after her. For a long time. Then... he sighed.

_What am I going to do?_

* * *

Thanks for all the wonderful reviews, guys! And happy 400 reviews! (And Ruichi, thanks for writing a fanfic about me! I feel very, very honored. :D I'm going to read your fic soon. Thank you so much!) Whoever the 400th and 300th reviewer is, send a bonus chapter request! If you're new to this, go back to the previous chapters and look for more info about bonus chapter requests in the reviews part. Try the 'Search on this page' on the toolbar if you use Internet Explorer. That way it's easier to find it :)

Btw, I'm still stuck on the twenty-fifth chapter. It's going to be a long chapter, but it isn't a problem... I think you guys know what it is. Anyhow, I've started a new fic, In Love With The Enemy, and I hope you won't mind reading and reviewing it as well, please:) I'd really like to know if I am still good at writing after all this mess x.x

HAPPY 400 REVIEWS! And keep on reviewing guys:D I love y'all!


	23. Breakaway

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Naruto.

* * *

---

♥ Chapter XXII: Breakaway ♥  
---

_I can't take it anymore. _

Sakura stared intently at her – no, Cindy's – bed. Thank God Cindy wasn't staying at Cecilia's. She was staying at her boyfriend's, Daiki's, place.

_I can't stand seeing them everyday. Together. Happy. _

She clenched her fists as she felt her tears coming again. "Sakura? Are you in there?" she heard her aunt call. She knew that her aunt was worried. Despite her weird personality, aunt Cecilia was a kind and caring person.

_I feel like I've been betrayed. But really, I haven't. It's just that... he loves her, but not me. What does he see in her that he can't see in me? _

"Sakura? You haven't eaten enough for days. I've made your favorite dish – don't you want to come out and eat?"

_It's just all a confusing mess of trouble. I just want to let go of this entire situation... to get away... to... **break **away... _

"No, aunt Cecilia. Gomen", she responded with a kind of muffled voice. "I... I'm not hungry."

_Maybe I should just break away. To spread my wings and learn how to fly from the problems. Fly, like a bird... _

Fly away... break away...

---

"NAANIIIII!"

"Is it because of Sasuke?"

"Ino..."

"Or James? Is it, Sakura?"

"Tenten..."

"Sakura-chan! You can't leave!"

"Naruto..."

"Yo, Sakura... leaving gets you nowhere."

"Shikamaru..."

"Yeah. Shikamaru is right, Sakura."

"Neji..."

"I agree with Neji and Shikamaru, Sakura! You just can't leave like that!"

"Temari..."

"Sakura, is it because the barbeques here aren't good enough?"

"Chouji..." Sakura sighed. "I'm sorry, guys. Really sorry."

"Really sorry? Can't you just tell us what's wrong instead?" Tenten exclaimed. Then she caught sight of Kari approaching them. "Kari! You can't believe what Sakura just said! She said she's going back to Tokyo!"

Kari narrowed her eyes. "Is she?"

"Yes! Help us convince her to stay!"

"..." Kari looked at her with disgust. Then she said snottily: "I'm glad you're going, Haruno. Maybe I can have Sasuke-kun for myself, then."

All of them looked at her in surprise.

"At first, I wanted us to become friends. But as time went, I realized you were becoming a serious threat. That you and him weren't just friends. You were something more. It was a sign of danger, and I had to prevent you."

"Kari-chan... you're kidding, right?" Sakura said weakly.

Kari's lips curled into a scornful smile. "I certainly am not, Sakura."

"Kari... how could you do this to Sakura?" Tenten exclaimed and stared at her. "I thought we were _friends_! Friends don't do this to each other!"

"Well, friends don't lie or break their promises either!" said Kari shrilly.

"I never lied, or broke my promise", Sakura whispered. "I never did, Kari-chan. Believe me."

"I don't." Kari looked at her contemptuously. "I don't believe you, Sakura."

"I always thought you were a slut, but I never thought you were _this _slutty, Hikari!" Ino screamed. "You... you... you _bitch_!"

"And that comes from the number one slut Yamanaka Ino, who could've committed suicide for Sasuke-kun if he asked you to", laughed Kari dryly.

"Don't call her a _slut_, Hikari", Shikamaru replied warningly.

"Kari-chan...", Hinata began quietly, and then shook her head.

"Kari-chan, you're... you're joking, right?" Naruto smiled unsurely. "This... this is a huge prank, right? You almost convinced all of us..."

"I'm not doing any silly, meaningless pranks, unlike you, Naruto", Kari said with a cold gaze in Naruto's direction.

"Hey...", Naruto started, but Tenten cut him off.

"Kari, why? Why did you do this for Sasuke? Was it really worth it? Do you think so?"

"Yes." Kari looked at her with an icy smirk. "Because my worst rival is leaving. Isn't that a reason good enough for me to serve this purpose?"

And with those words she trotted away, looking most triumphant. Sakura looked at them with a sad smile.

"See? Another reason for me to leave."

---

"Sakura, is this really worth it? Like I asked Kari... is it really worth it?"

Tenten looked slightly reproachfully at her friend, but Sakura merely smiled.

"Yes, Tenten, it is."

"But, Sakura... you'll come back, right?" said Tenten hopefully. Sakura looked at her for a moment, and then sighed.

"I don't know, Tenten. I honestly don't know."

"But... Paris is great! I mean, the shops, the people, the _city_ – everything!"

"Yes, Tenten, I know. I love Paris. But I'm firm on my decision. I'll leave, and there's nothing you can do to stop me. And right now, I'd like a slush ice, if you don't mind." Sakura arose from her chair and walked towards the cafeteria's counter. Tenten sighed and looked at her friends, forcing herself to smile.

"Well, it was worth a try, wasn't it?" she said.

"The thirtieth try the same day. I wonder if the thirty-first will work?" Temari sighed.

---

"Yo, foolish little brother! What's up?"

Itachi stood on the threshold, grinning broadly. Sasuke raised an eyebrow when he saw him and then sighed.

"OK, come in, then."

Now it was Itachi's turn to raise an eyebrow, and as he walked into the room, he said: "Hey, are you being normal today? You never say 'OK, come in, then' to me. And what was that sigh about?"

"Nothing", Sasuke muttered. "It's just... nothing."

"'Nothing'? And that's why you look like the world has come to an end? Ha!" Itachi then looked at him with an amused smirk. For once in his life, Sasuke realized how damn annoying his own smirk could be sometimes, especially when he saw the exact clone of it in somebody else's face.

"OK, look, Itachi, if you came here just to annoy me, then get the hell out of my room", he snapped menacingly.

"Seems like somebody is in a bad mood, eh?" Itachi's smirk widened. "But I didn't came here to annoy you. I wanted to ask what's up, since you've been all gloomy since... yeah, I don't know. Since I came home. I know you've never had much of an appetite, but still..."

"Hn. It's nothing."

"Yeah, right. Tell the big bro what's up, can't you?" Itachi sat down next to Sasuke on his bed and poked him on the forehead.

"Ow! Can't you ever stop doing that?" Sasuke snarled as he rubbed the sore spot on his forehead. Itachi's pokes were never gentle, like normal pokes; they were, despite the little strength he put in them, abnormally fierce.

"No", Itachi chuckled. "Okay, tell me now, won't you? It has something to do with Cindy, doesn't it?"

"Yeah", Sasuke muttered.

"I never heard much about you guys since I left. Did you two hang around or what? I heard some rumors about her and Daiki, but..."

"She left me to help that teme two-time his girlfriend, and now she comes around again", Sasuke interrupted, looking irritated. "And to top it all off, she has convinced Sakura to believe I only saw her as a friend because I saw Cindy in her."

Itachi frowned. "Sakura? As in Haruno Sakura, my fiancée's little sister?"

"... Yeah."

"You're friends with her? Geez, that reminds me of when you were kids..."

"WHAT!" Sasuke stared at him, bewildered. Itachi blinked at him in astonishment.

"We... we _knew _each other? From before?" Sasuke asked abruptly.

"Yeah, you don't know? She gave you a discount on tomatoes for your birthday. I remember that you got all sulky when I said you had gotten it from your girlfriend, and you said she was just a girl you had got to know." Itachi shrugged. "I thought you knew that."

"No, I thought it was Cindy who was that girl."

"Nah, Cindy has been to Konoha once or twice, but I remember that you didn't get along with her. It kind of surprised me when you said you two had become a couple."

"We didn't get along?" Sasuke stared at him in disbelief. "And Cindy has met me before?"

"It surprises me that you don't remember. I remember that you hated Cindy. I met her once when I fetched you after school 'cause kaa-san commanded me to. She was a real diva, and you hated her."

Sasuke looked as though Itachi had told him he had dropped down from the moon.

"I used to know Sakura's sister back then too, but not that well. Then we met again at Harvard and we got to know each other together, and eventually ended up falling in love."

"Sakura... she... was..." _The girl with the discount on tomatoes? She was **that **girl? _Sasuke felt more confused than ever. Which was quite of a surprise since the recent events had not been little confusing, come to think of it.

"Yeah, she was that girl." Itachi glanced at him curiously. "But what's with her anyway? Are you two... _friends_?"

And the Uchiha smirk was turned on again. Sasuke resisted the urge to roll his eyes.

"Yeah, friends and nothing more", Sasuke mumbled.

"So let me get this straight. Cindy broke up because she wanted to be with Daiki, then came back to cheat on Daiki and then told Sakura you're friends with her because you saw Cindy in her?"

"Aa."

"OK. So it's true? You saw Cindy in her?"

"No, I didn't. At first, maybe, but later... Sakura is Sakura. Cindy is Cindy."

"So who of them do you like the more?"

"I..." Sasuke hesitated. "At first, I thought I loved Cindy as before. But now I don't know. I keep getting annoyed because of her voice and attitude, and I keep wishing she was like Sakura. But I never felt that way about Sakura. I liked her for the way she was. But Sakura and me... we're nothing more than friends. If even that, because she now obviously is determined to break our friendship."

At this, Itachi began chuckling. Sasuke looked at him with a disapproving glance. "What?"

"Don't you realize it, Sasuke?" Itachi said between his laughs. "You aren't seeing Cindy in Sakura... you're seeing Sakura in Cindy."

Sasuke looked stunned at this statement. "You mean..."

"Yeah, that you loved Cindy before, but not now. When she came back, you saw her as Sakura. You were obviously blinded by your past love to her, that you thought that you were in love with her again, but when you began developing new feelings you began seeing her as Sakura."

"Then why didn't I fall in love with Sakura in the first place?"

"Because you denied it. I think you were afraid to open up to new people after what Cindy did. Maybe you didn't want to..." Itachi grinned. "... spoil your precious friendship."

"So your point is that..."

"That you're obviously head over heels in love with Sakura. You really are _foolish_, aren't you, Sasuke?" And he began laughing again.

And Sasuke couldn't do anything else except agreeing with him... for once.

---

"Sayounara, Paris. Sayounara, minna. Sayounara..." Sakura looked at the setting sun outside her window with tears in her eyes. "... Sasuke-kun."

* * *

Tsukiko: Uh-oh! Sakura is off to Tokyo!... Or is she? Will her friends be able to stop her in time? And what'll Sasuke do when he finds out? Stay tuned for the next chapter!  
Inner Tsukiko: -sighs- God, you sound silly.  
Tsukiko: -pouts- Am not!  
Inner Tsukiko: -rolls her eyes- Anyway, the next chapter will be published October 21st or October 22nd! Please leave a review and ja ne!

* * *

**Review Corner (Happy 400 reviews:D Guys, I love you sooo much, you've completed my dream about making an appreciated SasuSaku fic:) And... OH MY GOD, 400 reviews, I can still remember when this fic was first published and I was super-excited about having 10 reviews xD Arigatou gozaimasu, I love y'all! Keep on reviewing!) **

Ur2tRoUbLeSoMe90: Thanks, I will try :D

nickygirl: Thanks :D

werwolfofkonoha: Thanks, I'm unstuck now, but the 25th chapter will be one helluva chapter xD; I think this is the longest chapter so far, but I'm trying to insert as much KakaKure as possible, so it's getting a bit long e.e;

silverdragon994: You're welcome, and thank you too:D And wow, a fanfic dedicated to me? (Sorry for not noticing it until now x.x; I didn't check my mail..) Thank you so much! I'll read it as soon as possible :D

P-Prince: Thanks:)

SunriseHorizon: Wow, thanks:D

rainingblood666: Arigatou:)

dontconfuseme: Thanks :)

bunnyandpuppylovercutie: No, I'm sorry, I'll only update once a week now, on Mondays :( I'm sorry, but my real life is busy xO I hope it's okay... but thanks anyway:D

frienz4ever: I'll try, and thanks xD

Hanyue-Chan: Thanks xD And yeah, jealous Sasuke is DA AWESOMENESS x3

hushhushyou: Yeah, it sucks when he's being stupid, isn't it:( But thanks:D

Blackieismybaby: That would actually be an awesome idea xD -gives you a hammer to do it with xP- And thanks for the review!

silverkage-chan: Lol, it surprises me that you and everybody are not caring about killing Hikari anymore xDD But that wouldn't be a bad idea. Anyway, thanks for the review:)

MistressBlossom: Yes, that stupid jerk needs to learn how to apologize Dx But maybe he will in next chapter... -smirks evilly- Thanks anyway:D

rosesRred16: Thank you:D

themangaloverofdoom: ... Thanks? xDD

tiffanylicis: Yeah, poor Sakura :( Thanks for the review anyway:D

rebel-girl: Well, he gets his punishment now, doesn't he? xD Thanks anyway:)

Crazy Gal42: Yup, there're going to be five bonus chapters xD And if there're going to be 500 reviews before the last bonus chapter, there're going to be 6 bonus chapters, and so on :O And thanks:D

Kawaii IceCream: Wow, thanks:D And yes, Sasuke hating Cindy is great, isn't it? XD

Green Animelover: Thanks :D

els1324: Yeah xD; I kind of feel sorry for Sasuke, even though he still was a jerk in the last chapter Dx Thanks for the review, anyway:D

AngelxDeath: Thanks, I'll try :D

AnimeLuver05: Thanks :D

pilar-ayesha: Thanks :D And also, thank you for the previous long reviews/PMs! I feel really honored :)

pinkicing101: Thanks, I'll try :)

Fading Nightmares: Thanks ;D

lilrockinprincess: Thanks, I'll try ;)

Claud-kun: Thanks:D And yeah, isn't it awesome when he stops being dense for a couple of minutes and realizes what he truly feels? I've to say that Itachi is totally kickass in this chapter. xD Without him, stupid Sasuke would never realize anything.

ShiokuXRose: Lol xD Thanks, and I'll try to :)

arubadiamond: Thanks :D And yesh, jealous Sasuke is gooood x3

HeartAngel: Thanks :) Yeah, my friends wonder about that too, but well, I mostly think about what I'm going to write when I'm bored - which might be on the bus, or when I'm eating dinner and my parents only talk about uninteresting things. Or it just comes like a sudden inspiration 'kick'. It's hard to describe, it's like when you get kicked somewhere where it hurts bad, it just comes all of a sudden and it's so clear, just that being kicked is painful, getting an 'inspiration kick' is not. xD And I don't have lots of time, but I write when I'm done with my homework and have nothing to do. xD; My friends live too far away, so I can't see them, so instead I sit down in front of the computer and write fanfics. xD

SoraKoi The Water Goddess: Wow, I feel honored:D Thank you so much. :) And I update once a week, but if I've the time, maybe earlier. xD; So I'll try to update as soon as possible :D

CrAzY-SiLLy-Me: Arigatou gozaimasu :D

inner soul: Wow, thanks! ;D And yay, I managed to make you guys feel the feelings of the scenes! -dances about happily x3-

ruichi: Thank you very much:D And thanks again for the fic, by the way! I'll read it as soon as possible. :) (I hate saying 'as soon as possible'. x.x; I know I should probably say a proper day or something when I'm supposed to do it, but my real life is so busy so I never know when I can or cannot. T.T But as soon as possible, anyway! ;D)

cherryblossom9946: Thanks:D

Lyrical-Luff: Thank you... and I share your pain :( May your friend rest in peace!

citygirl1693: Thanks xD

everlasting memories: Yes, somebody should've appeared with a bucket of water or something and thrown it at him... Dx Anyway, thanks:3

naruto-fan001: Thanks, and I'll try xD

**Guys, I'm sorry for not answering your lovely reviews for such a long time - you don't know how awful it is to receive a bunch of great reviews from great people and not be able to answer them! It makes me feel like I'm ungrateful, or something :( Which I truly am NOT! I'm so happy that you like my fic so much, you've made my dream come true:D And HAPPY 400 REVIEWS! x3 I'm going to find the 300th and 400th reviewers as well, so that they can make their requests.  
ARIGATOU GOZAIMASU! I LOVE Y'ALL! x3**

**

* * *

Fanfiction News **

This Is Not My First Time - STILL working on the 25th chapter, but believe me, this will be the LONGEST chapter in the entire fic xD; And to the 300th and 400th reviewer... please, PLEASE don't request NaruHina xD; Because the 25th and 26th chapter are going to be FULL with NaruHina, so PLEASE don't request more NaruHina, 'kay? xD; And no SasuSaku chapters either, sorry. :P

In Love With The Enemy - New fic! I'm still working on the first chapter, though. :P First I'll have to read more about the actual event (which is very useful since we're going to have a test about it in school as well xD), and then write more. :)

My Catastrophic Birthday - New chapter! I'm working on the next one. xD; But first This Is Not My First Time, it's more important :)

Forbidden Memories - Working on the second chapter. I've written a second chapter earlier, but somehow it has been deleted o.O;

I Had A Dream About You Last Night - STILL working on the next chapter! It's on a mini-semi-hiatus, because I've Writer's Block. x.x

The Curse of OOCness: Also having Writer's Block. D:

* * *

_**Sneak Preview of Next Chapter: Sayounara **_

"Sasuke, this is serious!" Tenten blurted out, stomping her foot in her ground impatiently. Sasuke knew this was a warning signal that Tenten was beginning to lose her temper. And believe me, not even Neji would want to challenge Tenten's deepest wrath. "Sakura is going to Tokyo _today _and she has even told her parents that she's coming and all! Can't you just become as _cool _as the damn SUFC think you are and ask her to stay? Is that so difficult?"

"I've told you, Tenten", Sasuke answered calmly, "She'll only get mad –"

"She wouldn't, you idiot! Don't you realize the fact she's leaving is because of you?"


	24. Sayounara

**Disclaimer**: I don't own Naruto.

---

♥ Chapter XXIII: Sayounara ♥  
---

"But my most beloved cherry blossom..."

"I'm sorry, James." Sakura sighed. "I've had a... uh... pretty good time with you, but I'm sorry, I'll have to break up."

"But Sakura-chan! Haven't you heard of long-distance relationships?"

"I have", Sakura sighed once more, "But I'm sorry, James... really sorry. Gomen, I've no feelings for you."

"How could you break my heart this way, Sakura? I thought you loved me!"

"Uh, I... _tried _to, but it didn't really... work." She forced a smile. "Gomen, James. I'm sure we could've had a better time together, but I don't think our relationship would survive such a distance like this... maybe it could if we had had more time together. Maybe... I could've fallen in love with you then..."

"But Sakura-chan..."

"I'm sorry, James, but we're late for class. Ja ne", she said hastily and walked away. **(A/N: Yeah, I know, Sakura is kind of mean here, even though James _is _perverted and all, but admit it – you guys all longed to see them break up! XD Me too!)**

---

"C'mon, Sakura, we're the best of friends, aren't we? Can't you tell me, just me, why you're leaving?" Tenten asked desperately. _Damn, I knew it'd get troublesome when I got the ticket saying 'You do it'. Gee, I sound like Shikamaru. But it **is **troublesome. _

"I just decided to", Sakura responded with a little smile as she chewed on some onigiri. But her eyes didn't meet Tenten's.

"I don't believe you, Sakura! You've other reasons, don't you? Is it... is it Sasuke's fault? It is, isn't it?"

"Well..." Sakura tilted her head, but refused to meet Tenten's intent look, "I admit that I'm mad with Sasuke. But it's not because of that I'm leaving."

"What is it, then?" Tenten looked, and was, honestly desperate now. "C'mon, Sakura! Tell me!"

"It's just that... oh, I don't know, Tenten..."

"You know! You know, you just don't want to tell me! But you can trust me, Sakura, you really can! Please, tell me! Is it because of Kari? Or Cindy? Or Sasuke? Or all three of them?"

"Actually..."

"If it is, just ignore them, Sakura! Stay here! You'll be happier here!"

"Tenten..."

"C'mon, you've been through more difficult than this, haven't you? I mean, you were _attacked _by James! And you survived it!"

"But..."

"And this time it's not Sasuke supporting you... it's _us_! All of us, Sakura! And we promise, in a matter of time, Cindy will go away –"

"No matter how much I wish that was true, I must unfortunately say it's a false statement, Tenten", Sakura interrupted her with a sad smile. And this time, her eyes met Tenten's, which looked slightly shocked. "I overheard Cindy saying, not a long time ago, that she'd stay here... for Sasuke-kun's sake."

"Sasuke...?" Tenten repeated in a mere whisper. "Sakura, you..."

"Tenten, I can't stand it anymore." Sakura's eyes were filled with tears, and a droplet escaped her left eye. "I can't stand seeing them together, day after day. It's just too much for me. I can't take it."

And without giving Tenten the slightest time to answer, Sakura rose from her chair and walked away without even bothering to eat up the rest of her lunch.

---

"No."

"Sasuke, listen –"

"Tenten, I told you no. A no is a no."

Tenten furrowed her eyebrows and frowned in a most menacing way. Her face looked like a warning sign saying 'don't-you-no-me-Uchiha-if-you-don't-want-to-die-young'. "Sasuke, I thought Sakura was your _friend_? Or was the horrible thing Cindy the witch said _true_?"

To her surprise, Sasuke didn't even respond to her insult about Cindy. Instead, he replied, "Tenten, she'd only get mad if I did."

"Sasuke, this is serious!" Tenten blurted out, stomping her foot in her ground impatiently. Sasuke knew this was a warning signal that Tenten was beginning to lose her temper. And believe me, not even Neji would want to challenge Tenten's deepest wrath. "Sakura is going to Tokyo _today _and she has even told her parents that she's coming and all! Can't you just become as _cool _as the damn SUFC think you are and ask her to stay? Is that so difficult?"

"I've told you, Tenten", Sasuke answered calmly, "She'll only get mad –"

"She wouldn't, you idiot! Don't you realize the fact she's leaving is because of you?"

"Yes, but would it help if I just apologized and asked her to stay?" Sasuke put on a sarcastic expression and said in a high-pitched voice: "'Oh sorry, Sakura, I didn't mean to hurt your feelings, please stay.' You don't think she'd kill me right on the spot?"

"I don't care about if you're alive or dead, Uchiha", Tenten hissed through gritted teeth, giving him the infamous Tenten Death Glare **(A/N: That'd have made this fanfiction rated M if I described it too clearly xP Just kidding.)**. "But don't you even _know _why she's leaving?"

"Yes", he replied bluntly.

"No, you don't!" she shrieked, losing her temper. "You don't, you idiot!"

"Tell me then", he said, giving her his Uchiha Death Glare, which of course, as expected, didn't scare Tenten at all.

"Because", she hissed, emphasizing every word, "she's jealous."

Sasuke's world began spinning at this statement.

_I love her... _

... and she's jealous...

_... that means... _

... she...

With an abrupt movement, he had arisen from his chair. "When did you say she'd leave? _When_?"

"This afternoon", Tenten replied dryly. "4:25 pm."

Sasuke looked at his wristwatch. It was 3:50 pm.

And they were at least an hour away from the airport.

* * *

**Tsukiko: **Nyahahahahah XD Cliiiiffy X3 Gomen about the short chapter, but that was just because I wanted to leave you all wondering what was going to happen next. XD Yes, I'm an evil author... -munches on chocolate-  
**Inner Tsukiko: **That is MY chocolate bar, you evil woman! ;.;  
**Tsukiko: **... I know. XD Anyway, schoolwork (hoooorrible English essay and hooorrible tests and hooorrible history project...) has been occupying my free time lately, so I've not been working that much on my fanfics, sorry o.x; Thankfully, the next update will occur during the "November holidays", which is a week long, giving me lots of free time to go shopping and write fanfics. :) Next update will come next weekend, whether it'll be on Saturday or Sunday I'm unsure xD; Ja ne!

* * *

**_BONUS EVENT!  
_**As apology for all delays, I'm planning something VEEERY special (and evil, mwahahah XD)! It is not fully planned yet, but I've at least scheduled that it WILL come! Can you guess what it is before the twenty-fifth chapter? There'll be prizes!

If you can guess what pairing it'll be in the special thing, you'll get ANOTHER bonus character:D The first to guess receives first place, second the second place, etc.

First place: Bonus character in one of my fics (you'll not be able to control it, but you'll be able to design one, however, you can't decide that it'll have any superpowers or be any of the original characters' children/friends/boyfriends/girlfriends/etc, or in which fic. XD I'll tell you which it is later, but you'll be able to customize personality, looks, etc. And even though you can't claim it has had "direct contact" with one of the original characters, you can for example make it one of Sasuke's fans, if the fic it'll be in has Sasuke's fanclub in it.)

Second place: Customize Itachi's and Shizuka's child (Since Shizuka will be Itachi's girlfriend/fiancée in some of my upcoming fics, you'll be able to customize their child in one of them!)

Third place: Pairing in oneshot (Choose whatever pairing you want (ANYTHING except any sensei x any pupil, incest, shounen/shoujo-ai... gomen nasai x.x) and I'll write a oneshot about it:) What the fic will be about is up to me, though. XD)

* * *

**Reviews Corner (OMFG, we're reaching 500 reviews, folks! XD 500 reviews!!! FIVE HUNDRED! -dances- Arigatou gozaimasu, everyone! I love y'all, so KEEP ON REVIEWING!)**

By the way... WHO'S THE 400TH AND 300TH REVIEWER??? Anybody who bothers to find out will receive a bonus chapter as well... (Please, please, PLEASE... DON'T DEDICATE IT TO NARUHINA! xD; I know there has been minimal NaruHina in these chapters, but in the bonus chapters there'll be very much NaruHina (and also KakaKure)... also, the one who bothers to find out will also get to request two pairings in his/hers bonus chapter instead of just one:3)

And also, gomen nasai, guys, but I won't answer ALL your reviews from now on :( Otherwise that'll just delay the fic...

Many thanks to:

MistressBlossom

everlasting memories

tiffanylicis: Actually, Hikari's plan was to keep Sasuke away from Sakura, since she knew Cindy was only here temporarily, she was hoping that'd crush Sakura's and Sasuke's relationship, and then when Cindy left, she'd be free to take Sasuke. XD;

nickygirl

Merridaine

Crazy Gal42: Yeah, actually I do :D I love Fruits Basket! I can't wait to get my monthly allowance so I can buy a new volume of it (I've already read the 6 volumes I have so many times that I'm getting tired of them xD). Heh, she might, she might not... you never know with me xP If you knew what I was planning you'd probably go WHAT? xD; I'm doing a little bit better, I'm down practically everyday (it hurts so bad to not I can't see him in school or talk to him before/after school), but otherwise it's okay :) Besides, I get to people who know him everyday, so it's better to be cheerful and keep everybody else cheerful as well, since otherwise it'd be like... clawing in still hurting scars...

Hanyue-Chan

Claud-kun

arubadiamond

hushhushyou: Actually, that depends on the bonus chapter requesters xP The bonus chapters don't necessarily have to be dedicated to a couple, it can be dedicated to a specific event/character as well, which means that if somebody decides to dedicate a bonus chapter to Kari, she'll appear, but otherwise, the answer is no :)

Ur2tRoUbLeSoMe90

frienz4ever

rosesRred16

P-Prince: Thanks, I feel a little better now :)

cherryblossom9496: Well, I'm STILL working on the 25th chapter (it's gonna be a huge one x.x; actually it's the hugest chapter in the fic so far o.O) but I'll try to finish it as fast as I can since we're approaching it xD;

yankeesfan726

animedreamerz05

pinkicing101

silverdragon994

rebel-girl

lilrockinprincess

rainingblood666

bunnyandpuppylover: Hahah, I wonder if he'll have the time to do that xDDD

xrose45623: No need to be sorry, new and old reviewers are just as welcome :D

Suki dah Turdle: Yeah, I love Paris too! n.n I really hope that me and my family will go there again, even though I doubt we will ;o; Nooo! I want to go to Paris! e.e

els1324: They can be together since they're not related by blood XD In fact, I think the same thing happened with my distant relatives or something... I don't know if I'm related to the sisters or the brothers, but anyway, there was this guy who married a girl, and then their siblings met and the guy's brother married the girl's sister, which I think is fully legal since they're not related xD

ShiokuXRose

Aria's star: Don't worry, it is NOT the last chapter since I stated when I was going to update next xD And thanks, I'm feeling a bit better now n.n

physco-muffin

themangaloverofdoom

Latilen: I share your pain, I'm drowning in a sea of homework too ;.; That is the reason why I can't update so fast and why I updated every three days during the summer holidays x.x

MELCAR16

CrAzY-SiLLy-Me: Oh my god, you've read my mind! XD I'm just kidding. You've very good imagination, though n.n

kawaii chibi sasuke luver: Lol, actually I got the name from this site with Japanese names (I forgot what it was called), but maybe DN Angel did play a little role there since I was wondering what I was going to name her boyfriend and I had DN Angel volume 11 on my desk XD Death Note? o.O Hmm, I've heard about it somewhere... is it good?

Fading Nightmares

pilar-ayesha: No, it's okay... but is something wrong? u.u You sound a bit... sad...

inner soul

Kawaii IceCream: No, it's okay, keep complaining if you like XD And I'm glad you liked the chapter so much, thanks for the long review! n.n

jami16

Green Animelover

werwolfofkonoha: Dense as a... as a... duck? XD Or a... cow? No, I'm insulting myself! T.T I'm not dense! -cries- OK, I'm done too. XD

ruichi: Send the link, please:D

Cunning Angel

Blackieismybaby: Noo! If you knock out James and not Kari, she'll be all left alone... heartbroken... T.T (Kari: WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT, WOMAN?!) I'm talking about... stuff... XD (James: I AM NOT IN LOVE WITH HIKARI!) Who said you were? I said that she was in love with YOU... (James & Kari: JUST SHUT UP!) XDD

Yukiru a.k.a. ninja

x-an-angel-cries-x: Nope, they're not together... yet XD And they'll be together pretty soon :)

smileforme x3

naruto-fan001

MidnightMoon93: Tomatoes rock. X3 Sorry about the random comment XD

**Argh, I hate not answering all reviews! T.T But answering them all would delay this fic with maybe an entire day or two, depending on the size of my pile of homework x.x; I just feel so ungrateful not being able to say 'thanks' to everybody. Anyhow, you should all know I LOVE Y'ALL and I'm grateful for ALL the reviews I get! n.n You don't how honored I feel, every little 'great chapter', 'good story, 'update soon', etc, makes me feel so happy!**

**

* * *

Sneak Preview on Next Chapter: Perfect Moment**

"You said _what_? You said _when_? You said _where_?" Sasuke spat right in the face of the poor airhost.

"Uh, monsieur Uchiha", he grinned anxiously, "Unfortunately, the flight to Tokyo has been moved to Gate 13A –"

"Gate 13A?! GODDAMMIT!" Sasuke swore and ran off again.


	25. Perfect Moment

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Naruto.

* * *

**kawaii chibi sasuke luver **

&

Shy-Princess

&

silverdragon994

&

rebel-girl

YOU'VE BEEN REWARDED A BONUS CHAPTER EACH!  
Please Private Message me the bonus chapter info before December 3rd, or else you'll miss your chance to get your bonus chapter:P Remember, it doesn't have to be dedicated to a certain couple (if couple, PLEASE, no more NaruHina or KakaKure unless it's NOT the main pairing, same goes with SasuSaku, it can dedicated to a maximum of 3 couples, but then there'll only be fluff and no serious stuff), it can be dedicated to a character as well. You can tell me what you want it to be about if you like, but no details :3

* * *

---

♥ Chapter XXIV: Perfect Moment ♥  
---

"Ew, someone farted...", Sakura muttered, wrinkling her nose in Gate 13A, then moved towards the exit of the gates.

---

"Oh my god, Sasuke! C-c-c-calm it!" Tenten said in-between the wild movements of Sasuke's fastest – and largest – car. In the front seat, where three persons could sit, were Sasuke, Tenten and Neji. In the middle seat sat Naruto, Hinata and Temari, while in the backseat Shikamaru, Ino and Chouji sat.

"We've just a few goddamned minutes left!" Sasuke shouted as the police's sirens could be heard behind the abnormally fast car. "It's ten minutes past four already!"

"Actually, it's just nine minutes past four", Neji muttered. "And there's the airport, Sasuke! Hurry and get out _now_!"

Sasuke didn't need to get told twice. He parked the car swiftly, almost crashing into the car behind, pushed his wallet into Neji's out-stretched hand, and began running towards the airport.

"Gate 9B, Sasuke! Nine B! I repeat, nine B!" Tenten called after him. Sasuke didn't respond. He just ran as fast as his legs could carry him into the building.

---

"It's weird, why can't we go into the airplane yet...?" Sakura muttered for herself as she looked through the glass doors into the crowded room of the gate.

---

"Damn!" Sasuke swore as he realized the queue in front of where they controlled that you weren't taking any illegal into the airplane. He quickly picked up the airplane ticket he had, with amazing speed, bought thanks to his family's friends and his butler, and also his ID, and rushed towards the control gates.

"Hey...!" a woman exclaimed as he rushed past her.

"Gomen nasai!" he shouted after him, but the guards stopped him.

"Sir", they began, "You –"

"ID, passport, air ticket, and nothing started to beep when I walked through so there you go", he snapped and glared warningly at one of the guards. When they saw his name, they smiled nervously.

"Ah...", one of them began, "Uchiha Sasuke... the... co-owner's son, isn't it? G-g-gomen, gomen..."

"I'm in a hurry, so let me through NOW!" he snarled and began running. **(A/N: Unrealistic? I don't know, I've never been a VIP...) **

"9B, 9B, 9B... there!" he exclaimed when he saw a sign saying "9B" with an arrow pointing to the right. He immediately began running in that direction, and after some running, reached B.

"Sakura!" he burst out when he ran into the gate. The people stared at him, and he looked at the digital sign next to the 'counter'. _Denmark, Copenhagen?! What the..._

---

"_Excusez-moi, mais vous parlez anglais_?" she asked in much better French than the one she had come to the country with.

"Yes, we speak English", the airhostess smiled at her kindly. "You wonder why you can't board the airplane yet, I assume?"

Sakura nodded.

"Unfortunately, due to technical problems, the flight has been delayed for some time."

"Some time?" Sakura frowned. "How long time, miss?"

"We're unsure of how long, but it won't be more than a maximum of half an hour, miss, so please don't worry."

"Ah, I see." Sakura smiled. "Well, I'll wait patiently then..."

---

"You said _what_? You said _when_? You said _where_?" Sasuke spat right in the face of the poor airhost.

"Uh, monsieur Uchiha", he grinned anxiously, "Unfortunately, the flight to Tokyo has been moved to Gate 13A –"

"Gate 13A?! GODDAMMIT!" Sasuke swore and ran off again.

---

"Eh, sir..."

"I believe that you're all tourists?" the police officer snapped, glaring at them.

"No, actually, we've been exchange students here for quite some time", Tenten explained, "But you see, our friend Uchiha Sasuke wanted to see his friend –"

"Uchiha Sasuke? _The _Uchiha Sasuke? Ha!" The police officer laughed ironically. "Yeah right, and I'm Queen Elizabeth, aren't I?"

"But, sir... can we pay and be let off? We're in a hurry."

"Hurry? To do what? You've just illegally driven fast, ten times faster than normal people!" He glared at them again. "You think you'll just be left like that? You don't think I'll go, 'Good job, kids, do it again just 'cause you've so goddamned rich parents', eh? Think again!"

"Can't we just pay and be let off? We're in quite a hurry", Temari said, distressed.

"Sure, how much? Let's say, a proper 500 euros would do." **(A/N: I know exactly NOTHING about France's traffic fine. I just came up with something. And also, I don't think France's police officers are that mean. I just wanted to have this mean and sour police officer to make them a bit stressed.) **

"Yeah, fine", Neji replied and shoved 500 euros into his hand. The police officer just stared.

"So you're pretty rich, eh? So who was the guy who drove this car? I won't let you off like that."

"Uchiha Sasuke, for the thousandth time! Why won't you believe us?!" Ino shrieked.

"Okay, calm it, Ino", Shikamaru said.

"Ino? As in... _Yamanaka _Ino? Whoa! What're _you _doing here?" He now stared at the blonde, whose blue eyes intensively glared back.

"I'm here because my stupid classmate and friend Uchiha Sasuke first ditched my other friend Sakura and is now going to apologize to her before she goes to Tokyo and because a certain stupid police officer won't let us go because he thinks Sasuke didn't drive the car and I'm just freaking hungry and need something to eat and... and... and... GOD I HATE THIS WORLD!" Ino bellowed and burst into tears.

"Hey, Ino... how troublesome", Shikamaru sighed while he hugged her, and then turned towards the police officer. "Sorry, she's just in a bad mood."

The police officer could only sweatdrop. "O... kay..."

"Now DISAPPEAR out of my sight before I go insane and I'll also fire you 'cause my dad owns the police thingus whatever it's called in French and I hate you bastard we already paid the fine so let us go now you stupid idiot –"

"Ino!" Shikamaru said reproachfully.

"- NOW I said, NOW!"

"Uh... right... sorry, mademoiselle Yamanaka..." The police officer sweatdropped as he slowly began moving away from the car.

"Hey, good job, Ino", Temari winked at her and did the thumbs-up as she turned around in her seat.

"Tee-hee", Ino giggled, stuck out her tongue and did the thumbs-up back. Everyone just stared.

"You _planned _that?" Naruto asked, awestruck.

"Duh", Ino sighed. "C'mon, guys, we're totally late... I don't want to miss anything, this is _so _much better than the TV series I was supposed to watch today after school..."

---

"Geez, this is so boring... I think I'll listen to my mp3", Sakura murmured for herself as she pulled out a mp3-player from her pocket, switched it on and began listening to the music...

---

"DAMN DAMN DAMN DAMN DAAAAMNIT!" Sasuke shrieked in a way most unlike himself.

He didn't care that people stared at him, he didn't care people thought he was a maniac, he didn't care people kept whispering behind him, he didn't care he didn't act like himself... he didn't _care_!

_It's 4:21 already... it's probably too late..._

**_No! You can't give up! _**Inner Sasuke burst out. **_Ganbatte, Outer Me! You must make it! You must!  
_**

"I must", he breathed as he continued to run. "I must..."

---

_Urgh... I think I need to pee..._, Sakura thought with a grimace as she began walking towards the toilets...

---

"THERE!" he exclaimed as he saw the gate come into sight. "Finally... Sakura... don't go!"

---

"Ew, the toilets were gross... thank God they had such a nice soap...", Sakura muttered as she walked out of the toilets towards the gate opposite her, but then she felt something grab her hand -

"Sakura."

She turned around, more than astonished at the source of the voice, and saw the dark chicken hair she knew so well... she _loved _so well... she didn't even notice her mp3-player had fallen to the floor, playing the song that she had danced to with _him_...

_This is my moment  
This is my perfect moment with you_

"Sakura", he repeated, out of breath, still staring at the floor, his other hand on his knee because he was panting out of exhaustion and had bent down. **(A/N: You know, like when you've run too much and bend down with your hands on your knees? Just that one of his hands is already occupied, so only one is left, right?)**

"Sasuke-kun! What're you doing here? How did you know which gate I was going to? And –" Sakura was roughly interrupted again by Sasuke.

_This is what God meant  
This is my perfect moment with you_

"Sakura... don't go", he panted.

_I wish I could freeze the space in time  
The way that I feel for you inside_

"What?" Sakura said, utterly confused. **(A/N: Which I can't blame her. I mean, how normal is it, you're minutes away to leave the city of your dreams and your dream prince, and then right when you're going to your gate, your dream prince appears out of nowhere and tells you not to go?) **

_This is my moment  
This is my perfect moment with you_

"Don't go", he said a little louder, and looked her straight in the eyes. "Sakura."

"Sasuke-kun, why –"

_Tell me you love me, when you leave  
You're more than a shadow, that's what I believe_

"... because..." He took a deep breath. "... Sakura... I... I love you."

Sakura's world began swirling.

---

_You take me to places I never thought I'd see  
Minute for minute, you're the world to me_

Sasuke didn't hesitate. He didn't think twice. He didn't ponder the idea. He just did it.

He could hardly believe it himself, but he knew he had done it when he found himself in the midst of the kiss and embrace that _he _had pulled _her _into.

_I wish I could freeze the look in your eyes  
The way that I feel for you inside_

And then he could feel her kiss back. And he pulled her closer, and their kiss deepened...

... and it was as though time had stopped...

_This is my moment_

_This is my perfect moment with you_

... until Sakura broke free from the kiss and looked into his eyes. He could feel his heart pound hard. What was she going to say? But her gentle, soft emerald eyes showed nothing, and she didn't say anything either. She was waiting for him. For the explanation.

But he said nothing either. For what seemed like a long time, their eyes were lost in each other.

_And if tomorrow brings a lonely day  
Here and now I know I haven't loved in vain_

"Sasuke... why are you doing this to Cindy?" Sakura whispered.

"I'm sorry, Sakura. I didn't realize it before, but..." Sasuke smiled at her. "... you're the one I love. When Cindy came back, I thought I was in love with her again. But I kept seeing you in her. I didn't see her in you. _Ever_. You're you. She's she. It's you that I love. Not Cindy. So... I think... we belong together." Then a worried look came across his eyes. "If you... feel the same, that is."

_From the tears in the rain  
And if love never comes again_

"Baka", Sakura whispered. "It was to make you jealous that I got together with James. And because I tried to find a new love."

"You didn't succeed, did you?" he whispered.

_I can always say I've been to paradise skies  
In your eyes..._

"Never", she whispered back, and they kissed.

Again.

_Tell me you love me, the moment you leave_

_You're more than a shadow, ooh, that's what I believe _

"Sakura?"

"Mm?"

_This is my moment  
This is my perfect moment with you_

"I love you."

"I love you too."

_This is my moment  
This is my perfect moment with you_

"Oooooooh..."

Blushing, both turned swiftly around to see their friends standing there, grinning broadly.

"What're you doing here?" Sakura and Sasuke asked at the same time.

"We just wanted to see the entire 'reunion' scene", Temari smirked. "And besides... we wanted to welcome Sakura home, don't we, guys?"

A loud 'yes' came from the rest of their friends.

"So..." Tenten smiled. "Welcome back, Sakura."

Sakura smiled back. "Thanks, Tenten."

_With you..._

_

* * *

_Finally the kiss everybody's been waiting for:D Next up is a series of bonus chapters that has been THE TORTURE for me to write x.x; Next chapter is the longest chapter in the entire story so far! I've worked on it since... August, I think. Been editing the plot, events, characters' role in the story back and forth, gotten Writer's Block and everything, so FINALLY I'm done and am working on the 26th chapter, dedicated to the 100th reviewer, HeartAngel:D 

The 26th chapter might be delayed, though. Lately, things have been hectic over here. With a bunch of homework and tests hanging over me like a dark cloud, and with a bunch of things I'm supposed to do with my friends that I can't fit into my schedule, I've not had much time to sit down and write. And when I do have the time, I feel so tired I prefer to sit and watch some anime or read some manga or talk to my friends than focus too much on grammar and sounding interesting so I don't bore you to death with the bonus chapters.

Also, about those reviews... I must think frienz4ever and rebel-girl very much, and I've to say, sorry frienz4ever, but you gave me the wrong reviewers... silverdragon994 is the 500th reviewer, and I counted several times and kawaii chibi sasuke luver is the 400th. However, the 300th reviewer was more difficult to find... rebel-girl, which page was it on? (But I was quite sure you had got it right, since I've a faint memory of Shy-Princess being one of the bonus chapter winners, but I'm not absolutely sure.)

* * *

**Reviews Corner (Almost 600! C'mon, people:D) **

**I want to thank ALL of you very, very much, and I'm very sorry for the delay. Thank y'all so much, I love you guys!!!**

**Thank you**

**silverdragon994** (Congrats! You're the 500th reviewer:D)**ShiokuXRose **

**Hanyue-Chan**

**tiffanylicis**

**Blackieismybaby** (Nyahahah, I'm evil D A weapon? o.O -gives you baseball bat- Doesn't really help against James, but Kari is terrified of playing baseball, because she's always afraid the ball will hit her face. (Unless Sasuke's there, because then she'll be so busy drooling so she won't see the ball coming SMACK! right into her face. XD) And Cindy... well, she just doesn't fancy sports, unless there're some really hot Uchihas there. XP)

**Yukiru a.ka. ninja **

**P-Prince**

**naruto-fan001**

**hushhushyou** (I know what you mean, cliffhangers always make me frustrated XD Right now I'm damn curious about what's going to happen next in the SLOOOWLY updating DN Angel. Anyway, it's fun to leave you guys at cliffhangers, because... I'm evil :3 And who said the story is going to end...? D)

**Merridaine **(Yes, I do ;.; I feel so sorry for them! And for Kurenai too... I know exactly how she feels T.T But I do wonder who the king is... o.O)

**bunnyandpuppylover **(As a matter of fact, there IS going to be a boat ride in one of the bonus chapters, but how and when and with who I won't say XD But hmm, I haven't heard that song before... but there won't be that much songs in this fic, if any at all, sorry u.u; )

**rebel-girl **((James: OW! Why does everyone hate me? -sob sob-) Because you're a jerk. O: (James: Not! -wail-) And thanks for telling me the reviewers:D But which page was Shy-Princess' review on? Somehow, I can't find it... but I've a faint memory that she was one of the reviewers anyway, so... :D)

**MistressBlossom **

**m e h - m e h**

**werwolfofkonoha (**Lmao! XD I feel really sorry for our biology teacher, she gets a lot of weird questions too... somehow, I don't think she thinks they're weird anymore since people ask her them all the time, so I think she's getting used to it... XD Maybe I should ask HER if cows and ducks are dense... but then my FRIENDS would make a wtf?! face XDDD)

**lilrockinprincess **

**littlechineseazngirl** (Lol, so you've decided you hate or love the story, or both? XDDDD)

**Kawaii IceCream **(You're welcome, and I know how he feels, it's hard to tell when somebody is jealous or not when you like that person as well, because then you wonder if the jealousy was just something you imagined because you're so eager to see any clues of your feelings being answered, so well, he's pretty dense, but then again, so am I... and Zed... XDDD (Actually, the idea of Sasuke being as dense appeared when I got reaaally jealous when Zed once talked about this other girl and he didn't even realize why I was acting weird. XD))

**jami16 **

**frienz4ever** (Arigatou gozaimasu for helping me with the reviews, even if you got them wrong xD; But thanks so much anyway:3 I'll give you a reward, but until I'm done with all the bonus chapters it's a secret XDD)

**MidnightMoon93 **(Tomato slices with pieces of mozarella cheese... omg, I'm starting to get hungry now. XD)

**MELCAR16 **(-gasp- You're more evil than me!! XDD)

**Cunning Angel **(He knew, he just didn't want to stop her because he thought she was going to be angry if he said sorry. XD)

**rainingblood666 **(Things are going great for me, even though I feel a bit stressed because I have hardly begun on planning the 26th chapter's plot and important events, and I've lots of things to do, but otherwise it's great:D How about you?)

**arubadiamond **

**Crazy Gal42** (Yes, I know :D I know practically everything that has happened in Fruits Basket so far, even though I can't read the manga :( Instead, I read summaries of the different chapters and volumes :) Do you read/watch DN Angel, by the way? It's awesome:D)

**Freedomstar999 **

**everlasting memories** (Chocolate... -drool- Okay, it feels like I haven't eaten for ages now... xD; Actually it's just a couple of hours, but whatever... and if you're looking for KakaKure, there'll be lots in the bonus chapters XD That's why I've given the rule not to have any more requests for KakaKure xP)

**Ur2tRoUbLeSoMe90 **

**themangaloverofdoom**

**rosesRred16**

**AnimatedAlchemy**

**inner soul**

**nickygirl**

**Suki dah Turdle**

**Green Animelover** (Lol, you have really good imagination XD I actually pondered the exact same ideas before I ended up deciding to have it this way instead xP)

**minimuffin-on-acid **

**Aria's star**

**CrAzY-SiLLy-Me**

**ruichi (**No, it's okay, reply whenever you want :3 But the url doesn't show, I don't think urls are allowed in reviews... D: But do you have the fanfic here on your account? Maybe I can read it here instead...)

**els1324 **((Sasuke: -sweatdrop- o.O;;))

**Robinwind's Loyalty **

**pinkicing101** (Sorry, I wanted to leave you guys at a cliffy... XDDD)

**_THANKS SO MUCH FOR ALL THE REVIEWS!!! AND KEEP ON REVIEWING:D  
_**

**_

* * *

_**

Sneak Preview of Next Chapter: Double Matchmaking?! The Power of Love and Ramen

"So what's the task? Carrying piles of papers on a weekend?" Kakashi wondered.

"No." Tsunade smirked. "Play matchmakers."

Kakashi and Kurenai just stared.


	26. BONUS! Double Matchmaking!

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Naruto. How many times do I have to say that to make people understand, anyway? XD

* * *

**BONUS CHAPTER WINNERS,****  
****PLEASE PRIVATE MESSAGE ME YOUR REQUESTS AS SOON AS POSSIBLE! **

**The bonus chapter winners are the following:**  
  
**Shy-Princess **(Deadline: November 19th)  
**kawaii chibi sasuke luver **(Deadline: November 26th)  
**silverdragon994 **(Thanks:D Your plot idea was hilarious XD)  
**rebel-girl **(Deadline: December 10th)

**FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT BONUS CHAPTER REQUESTS, SEE THE PREVIOUS CHAPTER! **

**

* * *

**

**BONUS CHAPTER!!!!**

dedicated to...

ME! XD Yes, this is my own bonus chapter, the 100th reviewer's bonus chapter is coming next week xD;

The couple(s) or character(s) it's dedicated to is/are: NaruHina and KakaKure!!

For everyone who doesn't know, I've lengthened this fanfic by throwing a bunch of fluff-and-non-fluff romantic/non-romantic bonus chapters into it! x3 For those who would rather like to read the end than those chapters... you'll have to wait some time XD; I don't know for how long, though - if there'll be more than 800 reviews, I'm afraid you'll have to wait until after New Year's if not even more XD; Anyhow, there'll be a maximum of 14 bonus chapters, whereas four of them will be my own :3

Enjoy!

**

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**

---

♥ Chapter XXV: Double Matchmaking?! The Power of Love and Ramen♥  
---

"SASUKE-KUN! HOW COULD YOU DO THIS TO ME?!"

"Listen, Cindy..."

"I AM NOT LISTENING! AND YOU, YOU WHORE!" Cindy pointed accusingly at Sakura with bulging eyeballs that made her look uglier than ever, "YOU'LL REGRET THIS!"

"If you as much as dare to touch her", Sasuke growled, "You'll have to deal with me, Cindy."

Cindy looked at him helplessly, and then snorted and ran off. "I'll be leaving!" she shouted. "And I won't come back!"

SLAM.

Sasuke and Sakura exchanged amused glances.

"Will we miss her?" Sakura asked.

"No", Sasuke smirked and kissed her forehead.

"But, Sasuke-kun..."

"Aa?"

Sakura sighed. "My parents said I had to come home anyway. I'll be staying at aunt Cecilia's for another two weeks, but after that, I need to come home. I'll come back, though. I promise I will."

Sasuke's smirk widened. "I know, Sakura. I know." And he kissed her again, this time on the lips. **(A/N: Aaaand... she's FINALLY dumped! Haven't you guys all been looking forward to this? XD But whether or not this is the last time we see Cindy is unsure... mwahahah...)**

---

"Aaaah! I love the ocean, don't you, Shika-kun?" Ino smiled widely at her boyfriend, who yawned.

"How troublesome", he stated, but he had to agree in his thoughts that he liked the sea too. Though he liked the clouds more than the sea.

"Hey, isn't that Naruto and Hinata-chan? What're they doing here?" Ino hissed as she elbowed him. Shikamaru blinked a couple of times at the sight; it was without a doubt Naruto, sitting on the sand wearing a white t-shirt and a couple of blue shorts along with a couple of blue sandals, and Hinata, wearing a black t-shirt and a pair of black pants and blue sandals too.

"Hey, hey, hey", Ino said teasingly as she and Shikamaru approached them, "What're you doing here? Out on a _date_, eh?"

"Don't be silly!" Naruto burst out, but he was blushing, and Ino smirked at the sight. "We're just having a nice friends' chat!"

"Yeah, right. Only couples go to the sea, right, Shika-kun?" Ino chirped as she hugged her boyfriend's arm.

"Aa", Shikamaru agreed.

"I-Ino-chan!" Hinata blurted out embarrassedly. But Ino's smirk just widened.

"I really don't get why you two are so shy. I mean, you look great together, and there's nothing you can lose, right?" she stated. "Besides, we all know you like each other. It's so obvious."

"We don't!" Hinata and Naruto burst out at the same time, tomato-red in the faces.

"Yeah, yeah." Ino rolled her eyes. "I'm off anyway. Coming, Shika-kun?"

"Aa."

"Ja ne, then! Sayounaraaaa!" she shouted as she began dragging off her poor, lazy boyfriend.

---

"Win the one-of-a-kind _Icha Icha Paradise _book today! Just write 'Ramen Power!' on your forehead with a glow-in-the-dark pen and go to Ichiraku Ramen today and you'll receive –"

"Kakashi, what're you _doing_?" Kurenai asked with disgust as she eyed the pool of saliva on her newly cleaned living room floor. Kakashi tore his eyes away from the TV screen and looked at Kurenai on the threshold; she was dressed in a black tank top and a pair of white shorts that showed her slim legs, and she was wearing black high-heels.

He blinked. She glared at him.

Blink. Glare.

Blink. Glare.

Blink. Glare.

"Do you've an eye problem, Kakashi?" Kurenai asked at last.

"Whoa", he commented at last.

"'Whoa'?" she repeated in disbelief.

"Yeah. You don't usually... wear that, do you?"

"This?" Kurenai eyed her outfit, confused. "Uh... I do. Why?"

"I've never seen you in that kind of clothes before!" Kakashi exclaimed enthusiastically. "You look great!"

"Arigatou", Kurenai muttered, her cheeks taking a faint shade of pink. Kakashi grinned. "But anyhow", she added sharply, "Why the hell are you... _drooling _in my living room?"

"You should've seen! If I wrote 'Ramen Power' on my forehead and went to Ichiraku Ramen I'd receive a one-of-a-kind Icha Icha Paradise book –", Kakashi exclaimed but was hit on the head by Kurenai. "Ow! What?"

"Perveeeeert", she hissed with a mad sparkle in her eyes, "Haven't I told you not to read those goddamned perverted books?"

"Yes, ma'am", Kakashi muttered.

"You called me _what_?"

"I called you ma'am, ma'am."

Another whack. "Ow! What now?"

"I'm for god's sake not a... a... a _oba-san_!" she burst out. "I'm still a very young woman!"

Kakashi snorted. "Yeah, right. OUCH!"

"I'll clean up that later, we're late already. Tsunade told us to come to her office, right?"

"Yes, ma'am. OW!"

"If you don't watch out, _pervert_, I'll personally make sure that..."

"Make sure what?" Kakashi asked and leaned close to her. He saw Kurenai's face go tomato-red as his face was inches away from hers, and he smirked triumphantly.

"T-t-t-t-that..."

"That?" he breathed in her face.

"Ah, forget it already!" Kurenai blurted out angrily, turned around and marched away. Kakashi's smirk widened and a halo appeared above his head. _That works every time..._

---

"Shika-kuun! What do you think about this? And that, and that, and that!" Ino asked rapidly as she appeared and disappeared with new outfits each time in the hall of dressing rooms in the clothes boutique. Shikamaru sighed. Shopping had to be the most boring thing ever...

"Shika-kuuun!" Ino pouted as she reappeared in a pastel pink wool sweater and a white skirt.

"Hai, hai", Shikamaru sighed.

"What do you think about this?" she beamed and twirled around.

"Very kawaii. Glad?" he said and looked at her boringly.

"You only say that because you're too lazy to care, ne?" Ino wondered with a bit of disappointment.

"Aa." _Though I really do think that she looks kawaii in it. _

"Okay!" Ino went into the dressing room and came out in the clothes she had entered the boutique in – an orange, loose sweater and a pair of black pants. "Let's do something else, then! What do you want to do, Shika-kun?"

"Play shougi."

"But Shika-kun, you know I'll lose!"

"Okay... watch clouds?"

"It'll probably rain today."

"I don't know", Shikamaru sighed. "How troublesome."

"Anou, I think I know now..." Ino's lips curled into a wicked smirk. "Look there", she whispered and nudged Shikamaru, pointing at another part of the shopping center. There Kurenai and Kakashi walked together, apparently discussing something.

"Nanda?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Kurenai-sensei and Kakashi-sensei! C'mon, Shika-kun! Let's go over there!"

Shikamaru could only groan when his hyperactive girlfriend began dragging him towards the couple.

---

"Okay, it'd be the easiest thing to make Hinata and Naruto go to the ramen store, but how are we supposed to spy on them there?" Kurenai asked in a low voice as she walked side by side with Kakashi. Kakashi shrugged.

"Hide behind tables?" he suggested with a bored voice.

Kurenai snorted. "Are you really a genius, Kakashi?"

Kakashi smirked. "Who said I was?"

"Well... all the women that get around you go insane, they say you're sexy, they say you're a genius, they say you're _DA BOMB_ –"

"Oh?" Kakashi leaned close to her face. "So you think so about me too?"

Kurenai's cheeks got bright red. _Got'cha_, Kakashi thought triumphantly.

"I said all the _insane _women, and I remember that I'm p-p-p-p-p –" Kakashi had leaned even closer. "-p-p-pretty –"

"Pretty? Well, I agree on _that_", Kakashi laughed, making Kurenai blush the more.

"NO! I meant that I'm pretty... pretty... pretty..."

"That you're pretty pretty pretty? Does repeating the word give it another meaning?" Kakashi smiled at her goofily.

"No, idiot!" Kurenai snarled, now blushing madly. "I meant that I'm pretty sane!"

"Ah." Kakashi backed away, and Kurenai sighed out of relief. But Kakashi was still smirking. The day was far away from over...

---

"Oh my gosh, I think Kakashi-sensei has a crush on Kurenai-sensei!" Ino squealed as soon as they were out of hearing range.

Shikamaru sighed. "Ino, why do we've to meddle with _their _business?"

"Shika", Ino sulked, "Don't you realize it's not just _business_? It's love! Love is in the air, Shika!"

Shikamaru rolled his eyes. "So what do you intend to do?"

Ino grinned slyly. "Play matchmaker."

---

"I really don't get why Tsunade made us to do this", moaned Kurenai. "I mean... why is Tsunade interested in who the pupils are with? I mean, I know she kind of like Naruto in an aunt-like way, but why would she want to match him and Hinata together?"

Kakashi shrugged. "I don't know."

Kurenai recalled the meeting. Right after they had left her apartment and went to Tsunade's office in the school...

**_Flashback._**

"_Tsunade-sama? You called us to come", Kurenai said as she closed the door after they had entered. _

_"Ah, yes. Sit." Tsunade did a gesture at the comfortable chairs in front of her desk. Kakashi and Kurenai did so obediently. "I've a, er, mission for you." _

_"Mission?" Kakashi repeated, raising an eyebrow. _

_"Yes... or quest, if you want to call it so." _

_"Tsunade-sama, I think you've played too much RPGs", Kurenai grinned. "Did you really play that RPG... what was it called again, Maple Story? ... that Anko recommended?" _

_Tsunade coughed. "Well, yes, I have, but that has nothing to do with this. Um, anyway... call it whatever you want. Mission, quest, task." _

_"So what's the task? Carrying piles of papers on a weekend?" Kakashi wondered. _

_"No." Tsunade smirked. "Play matchmakers." _

_Kakashi and Kurenai just stared._

**_End Flashback._**

_Sometimes_, Kurenai thought with a sigh, _Tsunade is just downright weird. But... _she glanced at Kakashi with a smile, who was drooling at the sight of Icha Icha Paradise in a bookstore they were walking past. _... I guess everyone in my life is._

_And I'm not complaining about it._

---

Ring, ring.

The boy who watched TV furrowed his eyebrows in annoyance.

Ring, ring.

The blonde boy now turned up the volume.

Ring, ring.

The blue-eyed blonde boy sent death glares in the telephone's direction.

Ring, ring.

The blue-eyed blonde boy – or should we just say Naruto? – looked at the TV screen in frustration, trying to concentrate on the football match that was going on.

Ring, ring.

At last, he stomped towards the telephone and snatched the receiver from its place.

"Moshi, moshi?" he snapped rudely in Japanese.

"Hullo, this is Ichiraku Ramen Store", said a familiar voice. Naruto frowned. The voice was very, very familiar... but who did it belong to? It sounded a bit weird, though. As the person who was the owner of the voice had some kind of throat problem.

"Ichiraku?" he said excitedly. "Have you gotten my order of 100 instant ramen packages yet?"

"Uh, no", the voice replied. "But... you've won a prize!"

"Really?" Naruto laughed out loud. "That's awesome! What did I win?"

"Free ramen for an entire day!"

"Oh my god! Is it true? Is it true? Is it true?" Naruto asked rapidly in the receiver, almost dancing around out of enthusiasm. "Can I bring all my friends?"

"NO!" the voice yelled. Naruto blinked.

"Why?"

"Because... um... they aren't members of the Ramen Club."

"Ramen Club?"

"Yeah. Everyone who has eaten here 100 times – we count them, you see – becomes part of the Ramen Club. And there are only two winners in Ramen Club today."

"So... if my friends come along..."

"... they'll have to pay for themselves. Besides..." The voice lowered into a whisper. "... the price has doubled from today, so I don't think they'll be pleased... but we've a... _crisis _if you know what I mean?"

"Oh...", Naruto said understandingly, even though he didn't get it at all.

"So if you come today, there'll be free ramen, just for you and another person!"

"Another person?" Naruto repeated. "You mean I can invite someone?"

"Ah… uh… yes! But only if it's a girl," the voice added swiftly. "And if the girl has no boyfriend."

"Uh, alright," Naruto replied with a shrug. "I'll come to Ichiraku in a couple of minutes then. Ja!" _Click_.

Naruto narrowed his eyes as he began thinking. "A girl without a boyfriend…?" he mumbled for himself. He eyed the telephone again, picked up the receiver, and dialed a new number.

---

"Kakaashi-sensei! Kurenaiii-sensei!" Ino shouted as she approached the two teachers. Kurenai's eyes darted to Kakashi's hands, and sighed out of relief as she saw that the mobile phone was gone. Thank God Naruto was so easily tricked. Kakashi had done quite a good job on tricking him to go to the ramen store.

"Konnichiwa, Ino," she greeted the blonde instead, and then eyed the boy beside her amusingly. "Konnichiwa, Shikamaru."

"Yo," Shikamaru muttered, but Ino grinned tauntingly at the two teachers.

"Are you out on a _date_?" she said in a sing-song voice. Kurenai's cheeks turned pink.

"No! Tsunade-sama actually gave us a task…"

"On a Saturday?" Ino's eyes twinkled evilly.

"Yes," Kakashi coughed, and to Kurenai's… triumph? and surprise, he was flustered, too. "Actually, she did."

"And what task is it?" Ino pressed on.

"Uh, well, it's a secret," Kurenai stuttered. _Which is actually true_, she added in her mind.

"Really." But the evil sparkle in Ino's eyes didn't disappear. "So, hmm… what're you doing in the shopping center?"

"Well, we decided to drop by and buy a cup of coffee," Kakashi responded with his calmest voice. Even though it did shudder a little.

"Oh? Just _one _cup of coffee? You mean you're going to share?" Ino wanted to know, chuckling. Kakashi's blush became more indiscreet, as did Kurenai's. In fact, Kurenai's face resembled one of those tomatoes Sasuke had bought years ago with the discount Sakura had given him.

"No!" she said shrilly. "Kakashi is going to buy coffee, and I'm not going to buy anything at all. I'm not thirsty."

"Hmph. How unromantic," Ino snorted.

"We're not dating anyway," Kurenai answered stubbornly.

"So?" Ino smirked. "I've heard rumors that you're, so to say, having _interests _in common…"

"What do you mean?" said Kurenai defensively.

"Ah, well." Ino grinned at them. "Why don't we have a double date?"

"Well, actually, we're quite busy," Kurenai argued. "We need to get the task done fast, and…"

"Sure," Kakashi interrupted her. Kurenai looked up at him in shock as she saw him grin back at Ino. "Why not?"

---

"Hinata-sama! Hinata-sama!"

Hinata looked up at the urged servant standing in the door. "Nani?"

"It's urgent, Hinata-sama!"

Looking alarmed, Hinata put down the hairbrush she had brushed her little sister's, Hanabi's, hair with. "What has happened?"

"There's someone who wants to speak on you. Some boy. On the phone."

Exhaling sharply of relief, Hinata smiled back at the servant. "Ah, I'll get it then. Can you please tell Neji-onii-san that Tenten-chan is coming over for dinner this evening? I think I've forgotten to tell him."

The servant looked disapprovingly at her, but nodded reluctantly. "Hai, Hinata-sama."

"Gomen nasai, Hanabi-chan," Hinata smiled at her little sister. "Let's do your hair some other day."

"Okay, onee-chan," Hanabi smiled back. Then she winked mischievously. "A guy, huh? I bet it's Uzumaki Naruto."

Hinata flushed. "Naruto-kun is just a friend! Anyhow, I've got to go. Ja ne!"

Walking out of the room, she walked in quite a daze towards the phone on the other side of the hall. Picking it up, she said cautiously: "Moshi moshi?"

"Ah? Hinata-chan!" she heard Naruto's familiar voice say. "I'm glad you were home! The woman who answered said you were really busy…"

"Nanda?" Hinata's cheeks turned redder than they already were. "No! I was… I was just doing my little sister's hair. Konnichiwa, Naruto-kun."

"Hai, konnichiwa. Anou, I was wondering, Hinata-chan, are you busy this afternoon? I was wondering if you wanted to come to Ichiraku. Apparently they were, um, having this special offer and I could bring a friend of the opposite gender as long as the friend didn't have a boyfriend… and since all girls, except Kari-chan who's not my friend anymore, have boyfriends except you and Temari, I wanted to ask you if you wanted to come along? Besides, I think Kankorou is going to beat me up if I ask Temari out."

Hinata almost dropped the phone in astonishment. He was _asking _her _out_? Like a _date_?

"Hinata-chan?" Naruto's worried voice said in the receiver. "Daijoubu ka?"

"N-nani? Ah… um… yes, daijoubou desu."

"So… you coming along, then?"

He paused, waiting for a response. Hinata could hardly breathe out of excitement. A date? A real _date_? With… Naruto-kun?

"Hinata-chan?"

"Ah! Yes, I'm coming."

"So… how about if I pick you up in, uh, 15 minutes?"

"Fifteen… minutes?" Hinata stared in disbelief at her wristwatch.

"Yeah. If that isn't too late? What about ten minutes?"

"N-n-no! That's not necessary. Um… Naruto-kun?"

"Yeah?"

She thought a while. She had her own beauty stylist at home. And she could do emergencies… well, maybe they _could _make it in time…

"Um. No. It was nothing. Well, see you in fifteen minutes then."

"Yea! Bye!"

"Bye." Putting the receiver back into its place, Hinata felt her entire body shaking. Then she pulled out her mobile phone from her pocket and dialed a number within the gigantic Hyuuga mansion. "Tara-chan? Um, I've a bit of an emergency…"

---

Naruto felt a sudden feeling of hyperness and excitement as he saw the Hyuuga mansion come into view. Normally, he was _always _hyper, but somehow he had managed to stay calm the fifteen minutes the limousine had driven from his own house to the Hyuuga mansion. And somehow… he felt nervous, too.

Nervous? Naruto laughed a bit for himself. He was never nervous. Uzumaki Naruto was never nervous for anything.

Especially not one single, measly date – uh, I mean, a dinner – with a friend.

Even if that friend was a super-cute, super-kind, super-wonderful, super-shy and super-everything girl.

Even if that friend was Hyuuga Hinata.

Naruto didn't know why, but he had always, kind of, had this thing for Hinata. Sure, he had liked this little pink-haired girl back when he was little – which he assumed was now Sakura, hearing Sasuke talk about the tomato discount thing on their way home after the airport event – but after she had moved to another place, his crush had kind of faded away. Instead, he felt protective of Hinata.

Not to mention slightly jealous. Especially of that guy in her 'team', Inuzuka Kiba, who was protective of her too, even though he said it was in a more brotherly sense. Besides, Kiba had always teased Naruto for liking her.

But Naruto? Liking a girl? Hah. He's just too immature for it…

… at least, he thought so, until he saw that gorgeous girl at the Hyuuga mansion's doors. He gaped at her in disbelief. Was it really Hinata?

"H-H-H-Hinata?" he stammered as he walked out of the car, looking at her from top to toe. He could see a faint blush on her cheeks, but he was a bit too occupied to admire the dazzling beauty queen in front of him to bother thinking why she was blushing.

Normally, Hinata had really short, dark-blue hair. If she ever let the hair grow long enough to reach her shoulders, she'd have it in a casual horsetail… but today, she had tied into in a very pretty, and neat, knot, and as a decoration she had a yellow diadem today. He looked at her outfit too; a matching yellow, sleeveless dress with a huge ribbon on her chest, underneath a black, tight jacket (which's sleeves only reached to her elbows) which only reached a bit further down from her chest. She was wearing black sandals with a diamanté yellow flower on them too, and small white socks. **(A/N: Um, this was a bit hard to describe… the dress exists in real life, it's a "Shantung bow dress, A+Eve from Adam+Eve, $495" according to Elle.) **

"Um… do I look weird?" Hinata asked nervously as she eyed him anxiously. "Uh, I didn't have that much time… so…"

"No, you look… you look… really…" Naruto fought with the blush that was clearly visible on his cheeks. He realized he didn't look all that handsome, and regretted having not put on any deodorant when leaving. But he had thought he was going to see _Hinata_… not Hinata the beauty princess, who looked as though she had stepped right out of a fairytale. He looked at her slender arms, and slender legs… and how come he had never noticed those big, pearly eyes of hers that were so beautiful? And sparkly?

"Uh, um… why don't we… err… go into the car?" he suggested with a sheepish grin as he opened the limousine door. Hinata blinked at him in surprise.

"Oh. Right," she blushed, and stepped into the limousine as well. Naruto closed the door and walked to the other side of the limousine, going into the backseat from there.

"Ichiraku," he said to the chauffeur, who nodded and started driving right away. Naruto gave her a slightly bothered glance.

"Uh… what I wanted to tell you before was…" His voice came in a rush, unsurely, clumsily. He cursed himself for his uncertainness. "You look fab. Really."

"Oh." Now Hinata's cheeks turned bright scarlet. "Arigatou, Naruto-kun." She eyed him shyly. Somehow, he couldn't recognize that shy smile in her face. She just seemed so… mature. So ungirlish. Now she seemed like a… woman. Or a young lady, at the very least. Now she didn't seem like the uncertain schoolgirl she was anymore."

"Naruto-kun?"

"W-w-what? Uh, I mean… aa?" **_Oh my god! _**Inner Naruto was shrieking. **_I'm turning into a goddamned Sasuke clone! OH NO! A SASUKE CLONE? A S-A-S-U-K-E CLONE? AN UCHIHA SASUKE CLONE? AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH! _**

"You look…" Hinata's entire face turned a deep shade of tomato red. She looked as though she was on the verge of fainting. "You look… you look great, too."

Naruto looked at his clothes, and then looked back at her with a grin. "Hey, you don't need to be polite, Hinata. I know I don't look as great as you… I just didn't expect that we'd, err…" **_Go on a date_**, Inner Naruto supplied.

_Shut the hell up, you! _Naruto thought angrily. _We're not, and I repeat, NOT, on a date! We're just totally normal friends who're going for dinner…_

**_Yeah right! Is that why you're totally weird? _**

_I am NOT! _

**_You SO are! _**

_Am not! _

**_Are too! _**

_Am not! _

**_Are too! _**

_Am not - _

**_Oh, just shut the hell up and finish that goddamned sentence. _**

_Hey, you're right. For once. _"… I don't know", he finished at last, grinning nervously.

"No, it's not just that I'm polite!" Hinata looked shocked at the remark. "No, Naruto-kun, you look great whatever you're wearing. You always do."

"Really?" Naruto's grin widened. _And Uzumaki Naruto has SCOOOORED! The Uchiha Sasuke team has lost with 1000000000-0! The Uzumaki Naruto team has won the entire tournament! The Uzumaki Naruto team is undefeatable! UNDEFEATABLE, I SAY! UNDEFEATAB- _

**_Shut up. I'm trying to listen to that broken iPod that goddamned Inner Sasuke gave me last time. That bastard. He went to buy a new one as soon as he had given me his old one… argh, the sound quality is LAME… _**

"Y-y-yes", Hinata stammered. "Really."

"Thanks, Hinata! You look awesome too, whatever you're wearing. Even though…" He glanced at her. "You look even greater now."

"Uh, oh, eh… th-th-th-thanks!" she stuttered.

**_Whoa. Somebody has learned to flirt, eh? _**

_Just shut the hell up and listen to your goddamned iPod._

---

"Why don't we go to some café? Like…" Ino looked around. "Starbucks?" she suggested with a grin and gestured at the familiar coffee shop with 'Starbucks' written on its large window in black, huge letters.

"Okay," Kurenai replied calmly. "But I'm sure Kakashi would rather grab a cup of coffee at…" She paused and looked about, and then gave him a glare as she added: "… McDonalds. Yes, why don't you go buy your coffee and we buy ours, and we can meet at Starbucks?"

Ino lifted an eyebrow and gave Shikamaru a questioning glance. Shikamaru shrugged, not bothering to answer. "Fine by me," she said at last. "See you later, then! Ja!"

As the blonde and the black-haired boy walked off into Starbucks, Kurenai started to drag Kakashi towards McDonalds. As they were in the busy line to the counter, she gave him a death glare.

"What was all _that _about?" she hissed.

Kakashi gave no answer. He looked at the menu lazily before giving Kurenai a carefree smile. "Why not? They might actually be helpful."

"Helpful?" Kurenai echoed in disbelief. "What do you mean, _helpful_?"

"Well…" Kakashi paused. "For instance, if we tell them our task, they could actually help us putting Naruto and Hinata together. Those two would be a pretty good team when it comes to that… Ino's sense for gossip and matchmaking, and Shikamaru's brain. A winning combination."

"But… but…" Kurenai searched desperately for a reason not to do this. _I don't want the two of them to interfere! _she was screaming in her mind. _They… we… I… oh god, I don't know! _

**_You do know_**, Inner Kurenai yawned. **_You do know Kakashi is oh my GOD so sinfully sexy, have you noticed just HOW sexy he is today? _**

_STOP BEING A LOVE-SICK WOMAN AND HELP ME INSTEAD! _

**_Hmm, maybe you're right. They're stealing our precious time with Kakashi. _**

_THAT'S NOT WHY I DON'T WANT TO DO IT! _

**_Whoa, hey, calm down. But actually, that's the truth. You want to be with Kakashi, don't you? _**

_You… you… NO! I DON'T WANT TO BE WITH KAKASHI! _

**_Geez, take it easy. It's just that it's so obvious you do… oh, whatever._**

_You're so annoying sometimes. God, can you stop obsessing over Kakashi? _

**_Thanks for the compliment, I feel very honored, but the answer is still NO._**

"Oh, _okay _then!" she snapped. "Let's do it with them. But if things go wrong, it won't be my fault, alright?!"

Crossing her arms, she turned away, fuming. _Why does he have to be so narrow-minded? Can't he see it won't work? These two are… okay, so Shikamaru sure is intelligent, but… oh, whatever! _

"Hey… if you don't want to, we don't have to," she heard Kakashi saying.

"Hmph. Whatever," she snorted. "Apparently, you don't think we're capable of doing it on our own."

"No… I just thought it'd be more fun –" Kakashi stopped abruptly, and then looked at her with a raised eyebrow. "You're not angry, are you?"

"… No," she lied, refusing to look at him.

"No?" he repeated with a smirk.

"No, I'm not angry with you!" she snarled as she spun around, facing him. "I'm not angry, okay?"

"Really?"

"Yes! I'm not angry! I'm not the slightest, tiniest –" She came to a halt, realizing she was sounding silly. "Argh! Whatever. Okay, so maybe I'm a little angry."

"With me?"

"… I don't know. Maybe. Besides, you didn't have to agree to their stupid idea of a… a… double _date_. For god's sake, we're not dating."

Kakashi didn't answer for a couple of minutes. Feeling the tension, Kurenai looked curiously at him, but just as she was about to ask him what was wrong, he said: "Would it be weird if we did?"

Taken aback by the question, she could only stare at him. "I… well, maybe it would. I don't know. I mean… I've never done it before."

"You have." He now was staring intently at her. The lazy amusement was gone, and was replaced by nothing but intensity. Kurenai felt some nervousness appear. "You dated Asuma for a while."

"Well… it didn't go well, did it? And… I don't know. Asuma is just… Asuma. Sure, he's handsome and cool –" To her astonishment, Kakashi's face turned into a grimace at this – " – and smart and all that, but I don't know, we just didn't… go. Now we're just friends."

"It wasn't weird for you two, was it? Then how could it be weird for us?"

"I… don't know." Kurenai looked uncomfortable. "I mean, I've never done it with… with _you_."

"Then maybe we should give it a try," Kakashi said abruptly. Kurenai almost gaped at him in surprise, and she could only stare, as she felt her talking ability faded away. Inner Kurenai, however, was throwing a private party inside her mind.

But before Kurenai could answer, Ino and Shikamaru came.

"Geez, you two are sure slow," Ino complained. "How come this line is being so slow? We got our coffee in like, two minutes. We were wondering what was taking so long."

It was just then that both Kakashi and Kurenai realized they had walked out of the line.

---

"Whoa, so who's your little friend, Naruto?"

"Oji-san," Naruto said embarrassedly, but the owner of Ichiraku only smiled.

"A girlfriend, huh? Well, I'll have some extra accessories put into the ramen for free… think of it, our Naruto on his first date at Ichiraku!" He laughed. "So who's the lucky girl, then?"

"Oji-san!" Naruto exclaimed again, his cheeks on fire. "She's just a friend."

"Just a friend." The owner raised an eyebrow. "Is that what you youths call dates nowadays?"

"No! She's just a friend," Naruto groaned.

"Fine, fine."

"And she's Hyuuga Hinata," Naruto added, glancing at Hinata who was smiling shyly.

"Hyuuga, eh? So your father's Hyuuga Hiashi, I assume? Or Hyuuga Hizashi?"

"Hiashi," Hinata corrected him. "Yes, my father is Hyuuga Hiashi."

"Ah." The owner's grin widened. "Well, welcome to Ichiraku. What an honor to have Hyuuga Hiashi's daughter here!"

"She has been here before," Naruto muttered. "And her cousin, too. Neji."

"Neji? As in Hizashi's son, Neji? Oh, dear! So you mean the two heirs of the Hyuuga company have been here before and I've not even _known_?"

"Yeah." Naruto rolled his eyes. "Never mind."

Hinata giggled. "Naruto-kun, it's okay." She looked thoughtfully around. "I've really missed Ichiraku. We haven't been here for some time, have we?"

"Nah. Not since Sasuke-teme and Sakura-chan began arguing," Naruto replied. "I'm so glad it's over. What a mess it was."

"Yeah…," Hinata agreed. "I'm happy for both of them. They're so cute together!"

"Uh-huh."

"But where's Kari-chan?"

"Hikari?" Naruto's face expression darkened. "I don't know. I think she went back to Tokyo, just like Cindy went to the U.S., but I don't know where James went, though. I hope he went somewhere far away, that bastard."

Hinata only smiled. "Everything's good now, isn't it?"

"Yeah! It's just so sad that Sakura-san has to leave again… I hope she's coming back soon, though."

A strange face expression appeared on Hinata's face. As she fell in silence, Naruto looked at her curiously. "What's wrong, Hinata?"

"Oh, nothing… I was just thinking," she said quickly. Another silence. Then… "Naruto-kun, if I were to leave, what would you do?"

"What?" Naruto looked startled at her. "You're going to leave? Why? And what're you talking about? Why? Is it because Sakura-chan's leaving, too? But everything just got fine! Why? And –"

"No, I'm not leaving," Hinata interrupted him. "I just meant… if. Hypothetically."

"Hypothetically?" Naruto repeated, puzzled.

"Yes. I mean… 'if'."

"Oh." Calming down again, Naruto retorted: "Well… I think I'd talk you out of it. And if that didn't work, I'd stop you!" He grinned childishly at her.

"You mean the way Sasuke-kun stopped Sakura-san?" Hinata smiled.

"What?" Naruto looked confused.

"Never mind," Hinata said quickly. Fortunately for her, the ramen arrived just then.

---

"Don't you think that Kakashi-sensei and Kurenai-sensei are acting weird?" Ino whispered to Shikamaru as they walked behind the two aforementioned. Shikamaru gave her a lazy glance and then yawned.

"Maybe a little," he admitted. "They're a bit tense."

"Uh-huh. What do you think happened while we were at Starbucks?"

"I don't know… and honestly, I don't care," he added with a sigh.

"Shika-kun! Don't be so boring!" Ino sulked.

"I'm not boring. I'm just not interested in other people's business," he corrected her.

"What are the two of you talking about?" Kurenai asked as she looked across her shoulder with a frown.

"Nooothing," Ino said in a singsong voice. "So… where're we headed? The… cinema?" she suggested.

"No, we're going to Ichiraku," Kakashi said, and then stopped, looking at Shikamaru and Ino sternly. "Okay, remember not to tell this to anyone, but Tsunade-sama gave us a task."

"You said that before," Shikamaru remarked.

"Yes, and the task is…" Kakashi paused. "We're going to play matchmakers."

Ino only gaped at him.

---

"I can't believe this! Tsunade-sama actually gave you such a task?!" Ino burst out.

"Yeah. I can't believe it either," Kurenai commented.

"So what have you done so far?" Shikamaru wanted to know.

"Well, we've phoned Naruto and asked him to bring a girl without a boyfriend to Ichiraku, and naturally, he phoned Hinata and both of them have already reached Ichiraku. We were kind of hoping we could cause a few 'incidents', but we need some help," Kakashi went on.

"Incidents?" Ino smiled evilly. "Well, this will be a challenge…"

---

"The ramen was delicious," Naruto sighed happily as they proceeded out of Ichiraku.

"Yes… as usual," Hinata added with a giggle. Something moved within Naruto as he heard that giggle. _Has it always sounded so melodic? And… beautiful? _

**_Geez, dude. You're head over heels in love with her and you can't even realize it. _**

_Shut the hell up and listen to your iPod instead. _

"Wow, it's already evening… come to think of it, did we really sit that long at Ichiraku's?" Hinata wondered, looking around as they came out.

"Nah… I don't think so. But time goes fast when you have fun, doesn't it?" Naruto grinned at her.

"Yeah," Hinata smiled back.

---

"Damn! They're already out of Ichiraku," Ino hissed as the four ducked into the bushes beside Ichiraku. "There isn't much we can do now."

"I'd prefer to go home," Shikamaru yawned.

"Okay, then…" Ino sighed. "Can we at least stop for some dinner on the way? I'm hungry."

"Sure," Shikamaru shrugged.

"Let's go then!" she beamed. "Ja ne, Kakashi-sensei, Kurenai-sensei!"

And they both carefully stood up and walked off. A tense silence followed as the two senseis watched Hinata and Naruto chat.

"Uh… I think I'm off too…," Kurenai began hesitantly. When Kakashi didn't respond, she heaved a hardly audible sigh and arose gracefully, disappearing into the shadows. Kakashi only stared after her, for a long time, before doing the same.

---

As Hinata and Naruto sat in the limousine, they kept chatting. Laughs, smiles and grins were exchanged as they started to come near the Hyuuga mansion. _I'm so happy_, Hinata thought, and with a thrill of excitement, she realized she wasn't nervous around Naruto anymore.

"The Hyuuga mansion," the driver announced as they came to a halt in front of the mansion. Both Naruto and Hinata walked out of the limousine, and then stopped in front of the gate.

"I… had a really nice time today," Hinata began, with a faint blush on her cheeks. "Thanks for taking me along for dinner."

"I had a great time too," Naruto grinned.

"So… good night," Hinata smiled.

Naruto's grin turned into a smile. Then he kissed her forehead. "Good night," he said hastily and quickly walked back into the limousine. Within a minute, the limousine had driven off, but Hinata remained in front of the gate, looking after him with a mingled expression of shock… and happiness.

* * *

This is the LONGEST chapter in the fanfic so far! XD; Actually, it was going to be much shorter, but since I wanted to add plenty of KakaKure fluff, it ended up being this much :3

I'll have to apologize about the 26th chapter, though. I was going to work on it during these holidays, but I read/wrote about the French revolution instead for my test, and went shopping once, had a 'movie night' with my friends and went to visit Zed's grave. Concerning the visit to his grave, I felt kind of weird standing there. I know that I was supposed to cry or just mourn in general, but instead me and my sis (who didn't know him, but I had talked about him so much when he was alive she practically knew him as well as me since I filled her in on almost everything we talked about) started filling him in on what had happened lately and stuff, and it was just like he was still there and we were talking to him on the phone or something, just that his receiver was broken and he could only hear us talking. My mom got a bit mad with us because we started laughing about something we said, but that was just because I didn't want to stand there crying and feel like the world was going to come to an end. I wanted Zed to see me the way he had known me, not see me as the wailing, mourning, complaining me, and somehow it felt like a relief to just talk normally like I was phoning him just to talk. I know it was wrong of me to stand there in front of a grave, laughing, grinning and joking because it's kind of inproper to do that, but...  
Anyway, these holidays must've been the most boring ever. Except the visit to Zed's grave, I've done nothing particular and the FANTASTIC break from school I had been looking forward to for weeks was almost as boring as school itself. XDD

And for those who might wonder about my constant remarks about iPods, yes, I am obsessed with them, I've my own which has a pink rubber "shell" x3

A "tiny" little spoiler... since nobody apparently guessed what my super suprise was, I'm going to tell it... XDD

**A SEQUEL!** Yes, ladies and gentlemen, I've scheduled to release a sequel x3 However, I'll let you choose... do you want it to

- STILL be in Paris, have LOTS of drama, lesser fluff and humor but still some fluff/humor, concentrating mostly on a new couple and a new love triangle featuring an old couple

- be in the classic scenario of being lost on an unknown island in the middle of nowhere, have lots of humor but much lesser drama and fluff, and concentrating mostly on the old couples

And yes, both will be SasuSaku, and have equally much of it :P

* * *

**Reviews Corner******

**THANK YOU! We've almost reached 600 reviews... I'M SO HAPPY:D Arigatou gozaimasu, everyone!**

**For the reviews of the previous chapter, I must say a BIG 'thank you' to**

**Hanyue-Chan**

**rainingblood666 **(Nah, I won't let you guys wait that long. XD But it's fine, I'm always stressed about everything anyway, so it's not like such a big deal that I'm stressed now too... the only times I'm not stressed are during the holidays, unless my parents drag me off to a 'vacation', which I should rather call 'culture sight-seeing journey', which still makes me stressed. XD)

**mitzuki1290 **(Wow, I feel so sorry for you... ;.; I know exactly how that feels now - but I never attended his funeral because I was ill that day, coughed so much I almost threw up and had a really high fever, so I couldn't go anywhere e.e But it still feels like I don't feel anything, though...)

**Ur2tRoUbLeSoMe90******

**ruichi **(No, new characters until the sequel. XD Then, we'll see a bunch of them. :) And sorry about not reading your fanfic yet, I'm so sorry! T.T Argh, if it only were the Christmas holidays now...)

**Cunning Angel******

**OneHyperNinjaGirl**

**MELCAR16**

**Freedomstar999**

**Mini-Naruto**

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**tiffanylicis**

**silverdragon994 **(Lol, just have to say that your bonus chapter plot idea was hilarious!! XD Just to make it a surprise I'm of course going to change it a LITTLE, tiny bit, but I've GOT to have the quote, it was just way too funny XDD)

**bunnyandpuppylover******

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**rebel-girl **(Grats! x3 But please send the request soon, even though your deadline is far away, I'm really curious about what you're going to request, and I want to fit it into my 'fanfiction chapter planner' as soon as possible XDD)

**Yukiru a.k.a. ninja **(Yes, what's going to happen to her now... mwahahah... -laughs evilly-)

**Crazy Gal42 **(Oh, it hasn't ended yet, trust me... XD I've many, many evil plans for Sasuke and Sakura... nyahahah... but no, I haven't read Dramacon... I don't even think it's released in the country I live in yet -.-; The manga interest is growing here, so they're translating/importing more and more mangas, but they're pretty slow. I mean, they do have the entire Love Hina series, but they've just recently started translating Naruto, and the translation SUCKS... x.x)

**everlasting memories******

**Latilen **(Millions?! O.O Whoa... thanks... x3)

**jami16 **(That's for me to know and you to find out. XDDD)

**werwolfofkonoha******

**frienz4ever **(YAY! I've my own cheerleader! XD Hmm, okay... so you want to know your surprise NOW or later? XP)

**citygirl1693******

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**Pale Moonlit Nightsky **(No, it's okay, I'm kind of feeling better XD)

**MidnightMoon93 **(Mm... ramen... no, stop it! You're torturing me - mm, ramen... ARGH, NO! XD I'm getting hungry here! Even though I just ate... o.O)

**Blackieismybaby******

**HeartAngel **(Sorry about not publishing your chapter yet, it's coming next week :D And oh no, laps?! I share your pain... even though it's so cold now we don't have to do laps anymore XD;)

**iyoku-ishi **(I'm sorry about the Neji OOCness, but it's just that I prefer having him that way XD He's so boring when he's cold and emotionless T.T Even though when he is like that, he's still very cool... x3)

**littlechineseazngirl **(You're jealous of me? I feel honored! X3 And a Fruits Basket fic...? Hmm, I'll think about it. Lately, I've been thinking of writing one, since I'm obsessed with FB, but the problem is that they're already official, so there's not much left for me to write since they've practically added all the fluff I've ever wanted to add to Kyou/Tohru unless I make an AU fic about it... hmm... but I've been thinking more about Hiro/Kisa, sorry n.n;)

**nickygirl******

**ARIGATOU GOZAIMASU FOR ALL THE REVIEWS, EVERYONE:D AND KEEP ON REVIEWING x3 **

**

* * *

**

_Sneak Preview on Next Chapter: Fear and Confessions___

"YOU SAID THAT YOU LIKED ASUMA BETTER THAN ME -"

"NO, I DIDN'T!" Kurenai interrupted him just as loudly and drained her glass of beer, putting it back on the table's surface forcefully. "SO SHUT THE HELL UP, IDIOT! I JUST SAID IT'D BE WEIRD!"

"And why would it be weird?" He glared at her intensely, then mimicked her by draining his glass of beer and slamming it back on the table.

"It'd just be... I dun' know, WEIRD!" she yelled. "It'd be just as weird as you kissin' me or somethin' -"

He leaned over to her seat swiftly, and caught her lips in an abrupt and forceful kiss, then gazing into her shocked eyes with his. "Now, that wasn't weird, was it?" he asked in a low voice.

**(A/N: Uh-oh, Kakashi and Kurenai are getting drunk! And what confessions are there going to be? Don't miss the next chapter, HeartAngel's 100th reviewer bonus chapter:D)**


	27. BONUS! Fears and Confessions

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Naruto.

* * *

**BONUS CHAPTER WINNERS,****  
****PLEASE PRIVATE MESSAGE ME YOUR REQUESTS AS SOON AS POSSIBLE! **

**The bonus chapter winners are the following:**

**Shy-Princess **(Deadline: November 19th)  
**kawaii chibi sasuke luver **(Deadline: November 26th)  
**silverdragon994 **(Thanks:D Your plot idea was hilarious XD)  
**rebel-girl **(Deadline: December 10th)

**FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT BONUS CHAPTER REQUESTS, SEE THE PREVIOUS CHAPTER!

* * *

**

**BONUS CHAPTER 2!!!! **

dedicated to...

HeartAngel, the 100th reviewer:D (And, haha, Denmark, another country in the North XD)

The couple(s) or character(s) it's dedicated to is/are: KakaKure

I was inspired by your talk about vacation, and therefore got this idea XDD It's a two-part chapter, next chapter featuring another couple requested by the 200th reviewer, Kaoru-chan PL.

Enjoy!

* * *

---

♥ Chapter XXVI: Fears and Confessions ♥  
---

"Saaaaakuuuuraaa! WAKE UP!" Cecilia practically screeched as she flung open the door to her niece's bedroom.

"Just a minute, Aunt Cecilia…," Sakura muttered, and then sleepily opened one eye to squint at the digital clock on her bedside table. "It's five minutes left before I have to go… why do I've to go up now…?"

"There's somebody waiting for you," Cecilia grinned. "You don't want to keep people waiting, do you?"

"Somebody's waiting for me…?" Sakura blinked, and then gasped. "Oh no! Sasuke-kun said he'd pick me up today!" Getting up swiftly, she started digging in her wardrobe before finding some clothes she'd wear – a light blue turtleneck t-shirt and a navy, short skirt, which she quickly changed into and started dashing towards the door.

"Chotto matte, Sakura!" Cecilia shouted. "You've forgotten the luggage!"

"Nanda?" Sakura halted in her tracks, twirled around and looked at Cecilia. "Oh yes, the bag!" Running back to her bedroom, she quickly grabbed a bag which looked so stuffed with things that it looked as though it'd explode any minute. Darting towards the door again, she said a rushed 'Sayounara, aunt Cecilia!' as she exited.

SLAM.

Cecilia sighed and shook her head with a smile as she heard the door hurriedly getting slammed shut. "That child…," she chuckled for herself.

---

"Ohayou, Sasuke-kun!" Sakura called as she ran towards the black limousine. Sasuke smirked the infamous Uchiha smirk as she got into the car.

"Ohayou," he answered and kissed her before giving her time to fasten her seat belt. "Slept too long, huh?"

"You bet," she grinned. "Gomen, though."

He shrugged. "It's okay. I didn't wait for that long anyway. Just left Itachi at the airport. Your sister, too."

"They were going today? I thought they were going tomorrow!" A panicked expression appeared on Sakura's face. "I haven't even gotten them gifts yet!"

"Well, they had to go back today, because Itachi's exam results will be announced today instead of tomorrow, and he wants to get to know what they are the same day as they are announced. So it's not your fault anyway." Sasuke studied her still panicked face. "Take it easy. We'll have more opportunities seeing them."

"Yes… but…" Sakura hesitated. _Maybe we won't see them together, because… you'll be in Paris, and I'll be in Tokyo…_

"They'll come to Paris again," he said calmly as he gazed out of the window.

_Sasuke-kun… _Sakura stifled a sigh.

"What's up with you, anyway? You seem all gloomy." He turned his intense, obsidian eyes back to her, sending a shiver down Sakura's spine. _He is damn hot. And this time, I admit that I love his hot looks and his entire self. _

**Good job, Outer Me! Oh my god, Inner Sasuke is soooo cool! He's way better than the Outer! **

Shut up, he isn't!

**He is! **

Not!

**Is! **

Not!

**Is! **

No-

"Sakura? Are you talking to your Inner again?" Sasuke interrupted her. Sakura blinked at him in surprise.

"Nani? Ah… yeah… sorry about that."

"It's okay. But hey, what are you so gloomy about? Cindy's gone, Hikari's gone and the bastard James is gone, so what is it?" A sudden worried look appeared behind the calm façade of Sasuke's eyes, making Sakura giggle.

"What?" Sasuke frowned.

"No, nothing. You're just… you're just too _cute_," she giggled. Sasuke put on a sulky face.

"I'm not _cute_," he protested.

"Oh yes, you are," she said in a teasing tone.

"I am not, and I don't want to be."

"Aw, why not? You're so cute when you say you aren't!"

"Guys don't want to be _cute_, Sakura."

"Why not?"

"_Girls _are cute. _Guys _are _not_"

"Oh, you mean I am cute?" Sakura winked at him teasingly. A faint blush appeared on Sasuke's cheeks as he turned away.

"No, I don't," he muttered.

"Naw, you're blushing!" She burst into giggles again.

"We're here," the driver announced, and gratefully, Sasuke stepped out of the limousine together with Sakura, the driver carrying their luggage, relieved to leave the conversation there. Just as expected, the SUFC had lined up at the parking lot just to see him, but as soon as they saw the giggling Sakura beside him, they began whispering and gasping.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" the Ino-like girl from before demanded, pointing accusingly at Sakura. "Are you trying to _steal _our Sasuke-kun, huh?! HUH?!"

Satisfied, she sneered, waiting for Sakura to blush and stammer how she didn't want to, and then walk off. Unfortunately for her, she was rewarded with a calm smile.

"I don't need to," she retorted. "I think Sasuke-kun has stolen _me_." **(A/N: Whoa, talk about sudden change of attitude… o.O;)**

"Why, you…!" The Ino-like girl attempted to punch Sakura, but Sasuke had already appeared in front of her, catching the punch with the palm of his hand.

"You leave my girlfriend alone," he remarked with a voice cold as ice as he glared at her. "If you as much as touch her, I'll beat you to a bloody pulp."

The Ino-look-alike look terrified at this comment, and starting to sob uncontrollably, she ran off towards the school building, followed by pitiful fellow SUFC members. Sakura grinned embarrassedly at Sasuke.

"Sasuke-kun… you didn't have to defend me like that," she said. "Arigatou anyway."

"Hn," he merely uttered and started to walk towards the school building as well, followed by Sakura who started babbling about how beautiful the weather would be today and how she was looking forward towards the trip…

---

_I honestly don't know what Tsunade is thinking_, Kakashi thought sourly as he leaned back in the chair of the airplane. The memories came flooding back to him as though it was yesterday… well, it _had _been yesterday…

_**Flashback.**_

_Ring, ring. _

Kakashi groaned as he turned around in his bed. Not morning already? He had hardly slept!

Ring, ring.

Covering his ears with his pillow didn't work either. At last, he got up with a sigh and turned off his alarm clock… just to see that it wasn't the alarm clock that was ringing.

Ring, ring.

Groaning again, he dragged his feet miserably towards the living room and picked up the receiver.

"Moshi, moshi," he muttered sleepily into it.

"Yo, Kakashi," he heard Tsunade's familiar voice say as she crunched on… chips? "How did things go today? With the matchmaking, that is."

"Oh, that." Kakashi felt aggressive just as he thought of it. "Well, it went pretty fine."

"Really?" Tsunade sounded doubtful. "When Kurenai came to my desk today, she was in an odd mood. Has something happened?"

"No," Kakashi replied shortly.

"You're bizarre too. Have you rowed?"

"Not exactly."

"Really." She paused. "How about this… a trip to Copenhagen with your class?"

"What?" Kakashi said, surprised. Talk about change of a subject…

"They'll be thrilled, I guess. For once they'll be able to go out of France. A trip to Tivoli, all expenses paid, and staying at a pretty… decent hotel."

"Er… right."

"So you promise you'll take the class there?"

"Uh, yeah."

"If you don't, I'll get you fired."

"Huh."

"But there's one condition…"

"What?"

"You've to bring Kurenai AND Asuma with you."

"WHAT?!"

"Good luck, and have fun in Copenhagen tomorrow. I'll give you the tickets and everything. Have a nice night." CLICK.

Kakashi only stared at the receiver in his hand in disbelief.

**End Flashback.**

_What is the woman thinking?! _Kakashi spat furiously in his thoughts. _Is **she **trying to play matchmaking with me and Kurenai? _

"Kakashi? Yo, Kakashi!"

Kakashi woke up from his daydreams, staring at Asuma. Somehow, an intent feeling appeared in his chest, remembering Kurenai's words from the day before… _he's handsome and cool and smart and all that…_ "Nanda?" he said somewhat shortly.

Asuma raised an eyebrow. "No, nothing, except that the students said that we should have some karaoke in the entertainment room, since we're all alone on this ship. Everybody's going there. You wanna come?"

_I've nothing better to do, anyway_, he thought and shrugged. "Sure."

---

"Who wants to sing?" Temari shouted in the microphone. **(A/N: Yes, I know that she's in another class, but let's just say that she's in Asuma's class.) **She looked out over the crowd, but nobody reacted. "Aw, c'mon! Anybody?"

Still no reaction.

"Okay, I'm randomly picking out people to sing if you don't do it yourselves," Temari warned. This caused a stir in the crowd, worried whispers and hesitant glances, but still, nobody raised their hand.

Suddenly, she noticed something. Tenten was waving at her and gesturing somewhat clearly at Kakashi, Kurenai and Asuma in front of her and Neji. Smiling smugly, Temari showed her the thumbs-up as discreetly as possible and then shouted in the microphone: "Fine, first up: Kurenai-sensei with Shakira's _Hips Don't Lie_!"

Kurenai looked up in surprise. "What? But I don't know the song that well –"

"I warned you," Temari winked. "So get up here _now_!"

The crowd watched in amusement – several boys from Temari's class, including Kankorou, whistled – as Kurenai stepped onto the scene, wearing a tight red top, a white jacket on top of it and a white, short skirt with a shiny copper-colored belt and black high-heels. Inspecting her closely, Temari grinned mischievously.

"I think you might want to get more into the mood of the song, Kurenai-sensei, if you know what I mean?" she giggled and took off Kurenai's white jacket. Raising an eyebrow, Kurenai mouthed: "What are you doing?" But Temari only winked back.

"And now –", she announced, putting the music on, "Give a mighty applause for Kurenai-sensei!"

The giant screen in front of Kurenai – and facing the audience's back – was suddenly lit up and showed a flowing text as the song came to life.

_Ladies up in here tonight  
No fighting, no fighting  
We got the refugees up in here  
No fighting, no fighting _

"_Shakira, Shakira_," Kurenai threw in.

_I never really knew that she could dance like this  
She makes a man want to speak Spanish  
como se llama (si), bonita (si), mi casa (si), su casa _

"_Shakira, Shakira_," Kurenai sang again. Her pupils looked at her in awe as they heard her voice sounding exactly like Shakira's.

Then she took a breath, looked out at the crowd enthusiastically and began swaying her hips in rhythm with the music as she sang:

"_Oh baby when you talk like that  
You make a woman go mad  
So be wise and keep on  
Reading the signs of my body _

And I'm on tonight  
You know my hips don't lie  
And I'm starting to feel it's right  
All the attraction, the tension  
Don't you see baby, this is perfection."

Temari glanced at Kakashi, seeing him stare at Kurenai like he had never seen her before… or rather, seen her sing _and _sway her hips sexily in rhythm to the music before. Grinning towards Neji and Tenten, she mouthed: "Project matchmaking succeeded."

---

_Finally night_, Kakashi thought with a groan. The students had been so ecstatic to come to Denmark that they had been practically running off the moment they arrived in Copenhagen. Thankfully, he had and Asuma had stopped a few wild students in time from trying to enter Tivoli from the wrong direction (do we even have to mention Naruto was one of them?). Now they were finally safely inside the walls of the hotel and couldn't go out because the doorman would stop them, and the teachers could finally rest peacefully.

Okay, so maybe not peacefully. As soon as the students had packed up the belongings they had been taking along, they had started to enter each other's room, talking quite loudly ("_SASUKE-TEME! WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING WITH MY TOOTHBRUSH? HEY – NO – NEJI!!! DO YOU ALL WANT TO DIE?!_") and wailing each other's names ("_Why noooot, Shika-chan? C'mon, all romantic couples go to the Ferris wheel!_") and hitting each other ("_Ow! Ow! Ow! I was just kidding, Tenten, I didn't actually mean to eat that sushi of yours – OW! No kisses for you tonight – OW! I SWEAR I AM GOING TO TAKE THAT NOTEBOOK OF YOURS SOMEDAY… OW!!!_") and teasing each other ("_N-n-no, S-Sakura-chan and T-Temari-chan, I'm… I'm… I'm NOT **checking out** N-N-N-Naruto-kun!_") and… oh, we should just stop there. Just the thought of the fuss the pupils had made the last few hours made Kakashi even more exhausted than he was.

_I'd give anything for a nice glass of sake now_, he sighed inwardly tiredly. _But I don't even know if they have sake in Denmark… but oh well, just any drink will do. Wasn't there a bar downstairs…?_

---

"Oh my god, I'm _so _tired," Kurenai mumbled for herself as she put the glass of beer down. Suddenly, she noticed a too familiar silver-haired man approaching her. Her face expression darkening, she spat: "Oh, it's _you_."

Kakashi merely blinked. "Good evening to you too."

Uttering an annoyed grunt, she filled her glass with more beer. Kakashi ordered for beer too as he watched her drink abruptly. "Are the students in bed already?"

"How should I know?" she snarled. "_You _are supposed to watch them."

"Apparently, I am not. I guess Asuma is doing the job," Kakashi shrugged, realizing that Kurenai already was drunk. Draining his glass of beer rapidly, he refilled it again and repeated the act, already starting to feel the tiniest bit dizzy. "It's not like they've anywhere to go, anyway."

"See!" Kurenai burst out, doing a gesture at Kakashi. "This is just showing how irresponsible you are. That's what I hate about you, always so irresponsible and immature."

"You're just saying I'm worse than Asuma," Kakashi snorted as he drained his glass of beer again. Kurenai did the same.

"I haven't, but yes you are!" Kurenai said hotly. "You're so goddamned childish, why can't you just grow up for a change? You'd fit pretty well in the class, you know!"

"So would you have done! All with your foolish shaking of the hips and singing this afternoon, one would think you're just eighteen, stupid and irresponsible!"

"Che! Don't talk about it as a bad thing; I could totally see you staring. What, were you tempted to pounce on me or something? That just shows how immature and stupid you are, reading those Icha Icha series."

"Hey! Don't drag the Icha Icha series into this, okay?!"

---

"Aaah," Sakura yawned. "I wonder what the senseis are up to?"

"Probably snoring in their beds," Tenten giggled. "They must've been exhausted after all this work today."

"Yeah, _some _people just had to run off the moment they set foot in a new city, huh?" Temari laughed, nudging Naruto with her elbow.

"I just got excited, okay?" Naruto grinned. "Copenhagen seems like a cool capital. I mean, sure, Paris is great and all, but Copenhagen… it's _new_. Anyone wanna try sneak out of the hotel?"

"I'm so tired, all I want to do is to sit here and talk with you guys," Ino sighed. Then she gave Shikamaru a loving smile. "And be with Shika, of course."

Shikamaru rolled his eyes, but a faint tint of pink appeared on his cheeks. "Ino," he muttered, but Ino just giggled.

"Well, I'd prefer to just relax tonight. We've an entire day in Copenhagen tomorrow, right?" Tenten shrugged. "Even though we'll be in Tivoli the entire day, it's still Copenhagen, isn't it… and Tivoli is huge. Speaking of Tivoli, who are you going to be with?"

"Sasuke-kun," Sakura said right away.

"Shika!" Ino giggled.

"You," Neji grinned back at Tenten.

"My brothers," Temari shrugged.

"You guys," Naruto and Hinata said at the same time. Then Naruto stared at them and gaped.

"WE AREN'T GOING TOGETHER?!?!?!??! NANDE?!"

"Dobe, don't make us just deaf yet," Sasuke remarked. "Anyhow, don't you remember last time when we were dragged off to the shopping mall and ended up in Ichiraku because you only went on and on about it all the time and everybody wanted to go to different places? It's much easier to decide where to go if we're two, or three people in a group."

"So it seems like you two have to go," Sakura smiled teasingly as she poked Hinata, who was sitting beside her. Hinata's face turned a deep shade of scarlet.

"O-o-oh! Um… I hope it's… a-alright, Naruto-kun."

"Ah, yeah! It'll be lots of fun, won't it?" Naruto grinned at her. "Now, who wants to go spy on the senseis?"

---

"YOU SAID THAT YOU LIKED ASUMA BETTER THAN ME -"

"NO, I DIDN'T!" Kurenai interrupted him just as loudly and drained her glass of beer, putting it back on the table's surface forcefully. "SO SHUT THE HELL UP, IDIOT! I JUST SAID IT'D BE WEIRD!"

"And why would it be weird?" He glared at her intensely, then mimicked her by draining his glass of beer and slamming it back on the table.

"It'd just be... I dun' know, WEIRD!" she yelled. "It'd be just as weird as you kissin' me or somethin' -"

He leaned over to her seat swiftly, and caught her lips in an abrupt and forceful kiss, then gazing into her shocked eyes with his. "Now, that wasn't weird, was it?" he asked in a low voice.

Kurenai just stared back. She was dizzier than ever, and she couldn't think straight. The only thought in her mind was that… Kakashi had kissed her. _Kakashi _had kissed her. And without another thought, she leaned to his seat and kissed him passionately, and when she felt him answering with total eagerness, they kept on kissing… and kissing…

---

Naruto only stared. Then he smirked mischievously and trotted back to Sakura's room where everybody was gathered, talking about matchmaking with the senseis and whether they should try making Kakashi and Kurenai a couple. If they only had known what he had seen…

But he wouldn't spoil the surprise. Not just yet.

---

They kissed all the way to the corridor, where they had their rooms opposite each other. They kissed again, and again, and again, and Kurenai started to throw away her worry of being seen. At last, she gave him a flirtatious look.

"I'll see you tomorrow," she whispered, and got into her room, closing her door nonchalantly. Then she flopped down on the bed out of tiredness and fell asleep.

* * *

Ooooh, finally the KakaKure kiss you've all been waiting for! XD Now, I wonder what reaction they'll get when they awaken...? -giggle- 

Okay, just so you all know... I don't know if I can upload the chapter in time this week x.x; I'm hugely busy, having a bunch of homework and tests dumped on me AGAIN, but fortunately I've only ONE horrible test the week after, so I can take it easy and concentrate more on my brand-new (okay, not so brand-new, but it's Zed's x3) PS2 and FF X game and writing fanfics...  
Also, I'm planning more fanfics! This time not as many Naruto fanfics since I'm tired of the slow development of the anime/manga, nothing interesting (IMO) has been happening lately, so I'm more focusing on FF X/Fruits Basket/Chrono Trigger-themed fanfics, mostly the first-mentioned even though I don't know so much about the couple I support since I haven't been playing so much, but I've read about them and they're sooo kawaii X3

And oooh, I've found a new inspiration source... music! Yes, I know it isn't new, but mostly I get my inspiration from RnB, hiphop, ballads, that kind of music, but now I've this totally new one - kyle556, best musician EVER on YouTube, I tell you guys:D He's awesome, you should totally listen to his piano performances. And his composition with Leela is just fabulous. I totally recommend him if you need any inspiration, believe me, his piano music - especially if you're a fan of the music from the animes/games he plays music from - will get you addicted. I don't know how many times I've listened to "To Zanarkand" from FF X now. XD

* * *

**Reviews Corner**

**Arigatou gozaimasu, minna! And thank you...**

**Kawaii IceCream (**Yeah, for being a great team, Ino and Shika sure were useless there XD And hmm, I don't think Tsunade is supposed to have super-strength in this story since there's no existence of chakra o.O; And of course I'm obsessed with iPods! XD I've a pink one and I looove it. x3 Ye shalt worshippeth the godly iPods! X3 And the new couple? Heh, that's a secret :P)

**iamNOTafangirl3221 **

rainingblood666 (Well, I live in Sweden, the country far away from all places I want to go to, except maybe France or England. XD; And still, that's several hours away.)

**littlechineseazngirl **(Yes, they're sooo cute :D Even though I sometimes get a bit mad with Hiro because of his attitude, but then again, I can understand why he's like that. Btw, did he confess his feelings or not in the end? o.O I don't remember.)

**citygirl1693 **

A Broken Cherry Blossom

everlasting memories

Uchiha Botan

Freedomstar999

Denied Love (Lol, whether it'll be long or not I can't tell just yet. XD It depends on the bonus chapters, actually, but I think they'll be quite long seeing how the bonus chapters turn out to be much longer than the actual normal ones. o.O; However, after the bonus chapters we've a couple of normal - though short ones - and then it's time to work on the sequel. XD But if you mean lengthening the time of the fanfiction, I can guarantee it might take some time before the entire fic is done, because now at the end of the term they're piling homework and tests on us like never before.)

**rebel-girl **

Uchiha Rose (It's 'whoa'. :))

**Yukiru a.ka. ninja **(Well, I guess Naruto became unsure of himself for a change. XD Love really can create miracles, huh... :P)

**Green Animelover **

physcho-muffin (Actually, I've forbidden the use of SasuSaku as main couple in the requested bonus chapters because there's going to be lots of it soon, and it's only allowed to be used if it's one of the lesser important couples :P So don't expect too much SasuSaku to come just yet.)

**P-Prince **

frienz4ever (Well, no, I've been thinking about this and I've come to the conclusion that I'm not going to use that particular story plot :P But what the story'll be about... well, that's a secret until this story has come to an end XD)

**MidnightMoon93 **(Lawl. XD My Inner, unlike me who's stuck at the school for +8 hours T.T, plays PS2 - Final Fantasy X or Tekken 5 - 24/7 when she's not sleeping or listening to her iPod. So typical her. XDDD Ye shalt love those games X3)

**nickygirl **

Crazy Gal42 (Yeah, I know :/ But lately, nothing has been happening so much, so I'm kind of getting tired of waiting and waiting for Sasuke's appearance or the beginning of Part II in the anime, the fillers are driving me crazy. As they say, too much sweets won't do no good.)

**Merridaine **(Secret. :P)

**hushhushyou **(Great to know that somebody shares my opinion XD)

**Ur2tRoUbLeSoMe90 **

Blackeismybaby

silverdragon994 (You little... xD No, I'm just kidding, but da mindreader of doom Silver actually found out what I was THINKING of doing at first! Okay, so not exactly like that but kind of :P But I've changed my plans, it was supposed to be an action/romance/humor/drama at first, but now it's more like... humor/romance and some drama. XD)

**Jaciie **

AnimatedAlchemy

une see

silverkage-chan

bunnyandpuppylover

Yin's Crescent

Pale Moonlit Nightsky

pilar-ayesha

MELCAR16 (Lol, don't worry, I'm gonna XD I was asking what kind of sequel you guys wanted, but I've definitely scheduled to write one. :D)

**ShiokuXRose **(Yes, when I first started reading the series I had a really a hard time deciding which was better, Yuki/Tohru or Kyou/Tohru. When I then read Yuki only saw her as his MOTHER - which I just think is weird, he could've at least said sister or something - I totally lost my hopes. XD; But Kyou/Tohru is actually just as good, IMO. :) And Hiro/Kisa! Oh my god, that couple is sooo kawaii. But right now, I'm focusing more on FF X. XD Do you play FF X? If you don't, you HAVE to!)

**iyoku-ishi **

HeartAngel (Swedish weather is so unpredictable these days. -.-; You'd think up here in the North of Europe, it'd be frickin' cold all the time, but actually, during the last few years the weather has changed drastically. I mean, just take these two weeks - one day, it's bright and sunny as though it's summer, but as soon as you walk out you realize you're going to freeze to death without your winter jacket - the other day it's this snow-rain mix that makes you wet from head to toe but only makes you freeze half as much as during the sunny day. And it's winter, but it feels more like a cold fall...)

**CrAzY-SiLLy-Me **

Cunning Angel (Sakura is going back because her parents are expecting her to come back already, and no, Naruto and Hinata aren't going out, but maybe they will soon ;))

**nagoto **

Thanks so much EVERYONE:D I'm so glad for every review I get, so keep on reviewing! Also, sorry for the delay. And next chapter MIGHT be delayed, I don't know, I've a huge test the day after tomorrow and on Friday, meaning I'll be hugely busy, and the 27th chapter is not done yet, sorry. :(


	28. BONUS! The Morning After

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Naruto. If I had done so, I'd have put an end to the boring fillers long ago.

* * *

**BONUS CHAPTER WINNERS,****  
****PLEASE PRIVATE MESSAGE ME YOUR REQUESTS AS SOON AS POSSIBLE! **

**The bonus chapter winners are the following:**

**kawaii chibi sasuke luver **(Deadline: November 26th)  
**silverdragon994 **(Thanks:D Your plot idea was hilarious XD)  
**rebel-girl **(Deadline: December 10th)

**FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT BONUS CHAPTER REQUESTS, SEE THE 25TH CHAPTER! **

Also, Shy-Princess' deadline is over, meaning ONE bonus chapter is available! The first to request (see more info about bonus chapters in order to do so) will get it! However, you must do so before this Wednesday in order to give me time to start working on the chapter, unless you want me to write even slower than I'm already doing x.x; Also, those who already have bonus chapters dedicated to them can't claim this one.

* * *

**BONUS CHAPTER 3!!!! **

dedicated to...

Kaoru-chan PL, the 200th reviewer! (And once again, Denmark XD)

The couple(s) or character(s) it's dedicated to is/are: NaruHina

The second part of the Denmark 'arc', Sakura and c.o are going to the Tivoli. :D And who knows what awaits Naruto and Hinata there? Coming up next is... somebody's chapter, depending on who can claim it first before Wednesday ;)

Enjoy!

* * *

---

♥ Chapter XXVII: The Morning After♥  
---

"Ow… my _head_…" Kurenai muttered as she rubbed the back of her head. "What did I do before I fell asleep, knocked my head on the wall?"

Suddenly, she remembered, and felt her face go blood-red. But Inner Kurenai was laughing her head off.

_**Ahahahahahahahahaha! **_

_SHUT UP! I DIDN'T KNOW WHAT I WAS DOING!_

_**Yes, you did. Perfectly well. AHAHAHAHAHA! **_

_SHUT – UP! I honestly didn't know! And I didn't want to, either!_

**_Reaaally?_** Inner Kurenai raised an eyebrow. **_You mean that even on some level, you didn't enjoy the kiss?_**

_Hmm, okay. That was a different question. _

_**AHAHAHAHA! **_

_JUST SHUT UP!_

---

"Oi, dobe."

"Nanda?" Naruto turned to Sasuke, a wide grin plastered on his face, making Sasuke raise an eyebrow.

"You've been weird all morning, going around like you've seen something particular we haven't. What's up anyway?"

Naruto snickered and said tauntingly with eager, childish triumph: "I. Won't. Tell." Then he burst into laughter.

"He's gone crazy," Sasuke informed the rest of the group as he returned to them seconds later.

"Yeah, he keeps saying he knows something we don't. What would that be, anyway?" Ino questioned. "And whenever we mention Kakashi-sensei or Kurenai-sensei, he –" She stopped abruptly. "You don't think…?"

"No, they wouldn't get together so fast, would they? I mean, sure, they're adults, but god are they reluctant to show their feelings," Tenten remarked. "I mean, back when Kurenai-sensei and Asuma-sensei were in love with each other, it took them almost two years to realize it."

"What?" Sakura's eyes widened. "Kurenai-sensei used to be in love with Asuma-sensei?!"

"Yeah. We haven't told you?" said Temari. "Asuma-sensei and Kurenai-sensei were together for a while, then they broke up. I think that was because they didn't go together, or something… they tried to keep things quiet, but once they were seen by some pupils at the Eiffel Tower, and rumors spread like fire here, you know… so it wasn't long until the entire school knew of their relationship."

"I wonder…," Sakura replied thoughtfully, "If not something really happened between Kurenai-sensei and Kakashi-sensei? Because Naruto is acting really weird."

"Naruto _always _acts weird," Neji retorted with a raised eyebrow.

"Yeah, that's true," Tenten laughed, but Hinata stammered:

"Neji-onii-san! That's not nice!"

"Ooh, somebody doesn't like that people talk badly about her _boyfriend_, huh?" Ino giggled teasingly.

"Ino-chan!" Hinata burst out, her face going tomato-red.

"Hinata, you're not in love with Naruto?" Neji asked suspiciously with a raised eyebrow. Hinata's face just went redder, and she looked as though she was on the verge to faint.

"N-N-Neji-onii-san!"

"What?" Naruto looked interestedly at them. "Who's in love with me?"

Hinata almost lost consciousness.

---

"Yo, Kakashi. Ohayou, Kurenai," Asuma said lazily as he leaned back in the chair, blowing out some smoke as he gently took the cigarette out of his mouth.

"Hi," both muttered awkwardly, refusing to meet each other's gazes. Asuma perked up an eyebrow.

"Yo. Both of you seem a bit weird. Has something happened?"

"NO!" the two almost shrieked in chorus. Asuma's eyebrow just arose even more.

"Whoa. Take it easy. Just askin' a question."

Silence fell between the three. Blowing out some more smoke, Asuma rose from his chair at last and grinned at the two of them. "I'm going to check on the students. See ya."

Kurenai watched him walk off, when she heard Kakashi ask:

"So you didn't mean what you said last night, huh?"

Feeling her face go scarlet, Kurenai twirled around to look at him. "What do you mean?"

"Well…," he shrugged. "You said that you didn't go with Asuma. Judging by how you just looked at him, it didn't seem so."

"I don't like Asuma," Kurenai denied, lifting an eyebrow. "Honestly, I don't. And why do you care anyway?"

Kakashi didn't reply. Then he just shrugged: "Just curious."

"Hmm. Really."

Kakashi smirked amusedly. "And why do _you _care that _I _care?"

"Just curious," Kurenai responded teasingly. "And why do _you _care that _I _care that _you _care?"

"Just curious," the two said at the same time and burst into laughter.

"Hey, you know what happened last night?" Kurenai said in-between the laughter. "Let's just forget about that, okay? Otherwise it just becomes awkward." Her glance drifted to her wristwatch. " 12 p.m. already?! We've got to go to the Tivoli! I've got to tell the students. See you later, Kakashi!" And she ran away just as Asuma had done.

Kakashi looked after her for a long while. "I'd rather not forget," he murmured softly for himself before following the same path as she and Asuma had taken.

---

"The Tivoli… here we come!" Sakura cheerfully burst out as they wandered to the well-known entertainment park in Copenhagen. "Sasuke-kun, which ride do you want to try out first?"

"I don't know." He shrugged. "A rollercoaster?"

"Yeah! I want to try one too!" Sakura beamed. "Um… how about…" She looked on the map. "The Demon? It looks totally wild." (A/N: It IS wild. Maybe not for those who're used to wild rollercoasters, but I'm a beginner and I couldn't stand straight after that. But it's awesome anyway.)

"I want to try that, too!" Tenten grinned. "Don't you, Neji?"

"Sure, but that ice cream cone I bought next to the Ferris wheel five minutes ago didn't made me feel particularly fit," he groaned. "How about a slower one for a start?"

"Hmm… okay. The Roller Coaster?" (A/N: If you ever go to Tivoli, this one rocks! At least for starters. Or if you're not feeling very well but still want to ride a rollercoaster. I've been to Tivoli twice, and the second time I went on this one six… or eight? times. The only bad thing about is that the wagons are kind of unsafe. Don't try to lift the metal things that are supposed to keep you DOWN but they go UP instead.)

"That'd be great."

"I want to go to the Ferris Wheel!" Ino whined. "But I'm reaaaally hungry. Shika, don't you want to eat?"

"Yeah. Isn't there a Chinese fast food restaurant at The Demon?" Shikamaru said. (A/N: I don't know about this one. o.O; When we were at the Tivoli, some of us brought lunches and some of didn't, since we wanted to spend more money on rides and games than food.)

"I don't want to ride a rollercoaster yet… I'm so hungry, I want to ride something and then go eat," Naruto moaned. "What do you want to do, Hinata-chan?"

"Well…," Hinata began thoughtfully with slightly blushing cheeks, "I'd like to go ride the Ferris wheel. If it's okay with you, Naruto-kun?" she added worriedly.

"Yeah, that'd be awesome!" Naruto grinned. "The view from the Ferris wheel is great, right?"

"I think so," Hinata smiled back.

"Oh my," Temari said teasingly as she arrived with Gaara and Kankorou. "Already going to the Ferris wheel, eh, Hinata?"

"T-T-Temari-chan!" Hinata said reproachfully, just making her laugh heartily.

"Where're you three going, then?" Sakura asked her.

"Well, it's kind of undecided," Temari sighed. "Gaara wants to ride The Dragon, Kankorou wants to go to eat, and I want to play some games. So we're still compromising. Chouji was with us before, but he went off to buy some chips."

"Oh. Okay. Well, how about meeting here later and go ride a last rollercoaster together before the end of the day… say, 5:30 p.m., since we leave at 6:00?" Tenten suggested.

"Okay!" the rest of the group exclaimed, and parted in different directions.

---

"Wow! What a view!" Hinata burst out excitedly as she looked down from the 'basket' in mid-air. "It's so beautiful!"

"Yeah…" Naruto grinned. "Hey, you wanna ride this one again later?"

"Sure!" Hinata beamed at him.

"Smile like that more often," Naruto suddenly commented cheerily. "You know, you always look so shy and everything – it's really cute, but you look much prettier when you smile like that!"

"O-oh! Okay," Hinata smiled warmly, blushing. "Th-thanks, Naruto-kun. You… you look handsome too when you grin, you know," she added shyly.

"Oh." Naruto was suddenly aware that he was going a bit red. "Er… thanks, Hinata."

Hinata giggled. "You're going red!"

"I'm not," he protested, but he just felt his cheeks become hotter at this.

"Oh, yes you are," she teased.

"No, I'm not!" he grinned back.

"Yes you are!"

"No!"

"Yes!"

"No!"

"Yes!"

"No!"

"Yes!"

They both looked at each other, and burst into hearty laughter.

---

"That rollercoaster was sooo fun!" Sakura squealed. "C'mon, Sasuke-kun, let's ride it again!"

"Hn." Sasuke looked up at the screaming people in the carts that twirled, went up and down, and rode with their heads facing the ground in a swift ride back towards the 'start'. "The queue is pretty long."

"Yeah, that's true." Sakura squinted up at the top of the staircase that led to _The Demon_. "Are there some other good rollercoasters around?"

"Sure as hell!" a familiar voice exclaimed from behind. Sakura and Sasuke turned around to face a somewhat pale Neji and a widely grinning Tenten. "You should go ride _The Odin Express_. It doesn't look very exciting, but it's surprisingly fast. You should've seen Neji's face."

"Urgh… and I thought it wasn't a wild one…," Neji moaned. "I shouldn't have eaten that ice cream after all…"

Sakura giggled. "Poor Neji. Hey, have you two seen Shikamaru and Ino? Or Temari and her brothers? We saw them before, but I think we've lost them."

"Last I saw Shikamaru and Ino, Ino was dragging him towards the Ferris Wheel," Tenten answered. "But I don't know with Temari and her brothers; they went to play games in the end, but since Temari sucks at playing those kinds of games but is extremely stubborn, I guess they're still stuck there."

"Hn." Sasuke smirked. "She'll probably start to kick the machines after five games."

"And punch the glass after ten," Tenten added.

"And scream at any passersby after fifteen," Sakura giggled.

"And at last, she'll just stomp off, all mad," Neji groaned.

"So, where're you two going, then?" Sakura asked Tenten.

"Uh, I don't know." Tenten eyed Neji. "First, I wanted to go ride _The Demon_, but it'd be boring alone, and besides, it'd be mean to Neji, but if I forced him to ride with me, he'd probably puke all over the rollercoaster. So I guess we're heading somewhere to rest. Or maybe play some games. Come to think of it…" She glanced at Sasuke with an evil smirk. "… why don't you two come along? We still aren't done with our previous match, _Sasuke_."

"Hn!" Sasuke grunted, his self-conscious smirk widening. "I'll beat you anyway."

"How _dare _you!" Tenten hissed, her eyes flaming. "It was 23-22 last time! _I _am going to beat _you_!"

"Dream on, bun-haired Chinese!"

"Dream on, Uchiha!"

The two began a death glare contest, as Sakura heaved a sigh. "I managed to hit _30 _moles the first round when you only managed to hit _ten_!" Tenten snapped.

"But then I hit ALL of them while you hit fourteen!" Sasuke snarled back.

"Pfft! You only hit twenty!"

"No I didn't!"

"Yes, you did!"

"No!"

"Yes!"

"No!"

"Yes!"

The two glared at each other even more intensively than before. "Hey, you two," Sakura said sharply, making both turn their heads at the same time. "I think I'm afraid to say that the winner of that tournament will be…"

All three, even Neji, listened tensely.

"…me!" Sakura sneered _her _evil smirk for the first time ever since she arrived in Paris.

"WHAT!" both Tenten and Sasuke burst out at once.

"No way, Sakura! _I _am going to win!" Tenten screamed.

"No, _I _will!" Sasuke growled.

"You're both wrong! _I _will beat you _both_!"

And then the death glare contest continued, this time with Sakura in it, too. Neji only watched, dumbfounded, before shaking his head with a sigh, mumbling: "They're hopeless…"

---

"The food's delicious here!" Naruto said, grinning, as he and Hinata left a restaurant close to the Ferris Wheel. (A/N: Sorry for not being so precise with WHICH restaurant it is. XP But last I was at the Tivoli, me and my friends brought our own lunch boxes, and spent all our time riding the rollercoasters, playing games, etc instead of eating – if you don't count that huge plastic bottle of Slush Ice, of course, that left me and my 'gang' groaning the way Neji was like afterwards. XD)

"Yeah," Hinata agreed with a smile. "Where should we go now?"

"I don't know. Not a rollercoaster, I guess," Naruto laughed. "I'm so full I'd probably throw up on the people below us."

Hinata giggled. "Same here."

A tense silence fell as the two of them walked down the road from the restaurant. Hinata felt nervousness arise in her chest. _Should I ask about what happened after that dinner? Or shouldn't I? Or… _

**_Oh, just ask, goddammit!_** Inner Hinata interrupted her.**_ I couldn't sleep last night just because I kept wondering._**

_"_Er, Naruto-kun…," she began hesitantly.

"Yeah?" Naruto said, looking at her cheerfully.

"You know, er, that… dinner the day before yesterday?"

"Oh." Naruto's smile faded away. "Uh, right."

"Um… did you mean anything with that… that… that…" Her cheeks turned scarlet. "That –"

"- kiss?" Naruto finished for her.

"Yes," she said in relief.

"Um… well… actually…" Naruto seemed unsure what to answer, and Hinata looked with curiosity at him. "… Yeah, I guess I did mean something with that."

"Oh…" Hinata's cheeks turned red again. "S-s-s-so… do you… do you… em… like me?"

Naruto's eyes looked into hers for a while, before responding: "I… think so. Yeah, I think I like you, Hinata."

"Not in the 'I like you as a friend' sense?" Hinata felt as though her heart would explode out of joy, and Inner Hinata was throwing confetti everywhere in her mind.

"No… how about… how about you, then?" He swallowed. "You don't only like me as a friend, do you?"

"N-n-no! Not at all!" Hinata stammered. "I… I really like you, Naruto-kun."

"Good." He smiled at her, before bending down and kissing her.

---

"OH – MY – FREAKING – GOD!" Ino breathed in ecstasy as she and Shikamaru watched the scene from behind, hiding in a couple of bushes just as that night two days ago. "They finally did it, Shika! They're… they're a couple!"

"Aa." Shikamaru yawned boringly. Ino looked at him in disbelief.

"You aren't amazed?" she asked. "Don't you think it's great?"

"Sure. I just mean it was kind of predictable this would happen in the end."

"_No_," Ino insisted stubbornly. "It could've ended a totally different way if they hadn't been brave enough to confess their feelings."

"I guess. But it was a 70 chance they would do it."

"But, still…" Ino's eyes sparkled. "Isn't it awesome, Shika?"

"Yeah." He grinned. "I guess it is."

---

"_The Demon_!"

"_The Dragon_!"

"NO! NO, I SAY! _THE ROLLER COASTER_!"

"Are you all crazy? It's the _Odin Express _we should ride!"

Temari, Kankorou, Neji and Ino were in the midst of a fiery argument of which rollercoaster they should ride. Meanwhile, Sakura, Tenten and Sasuke were arguing about who had won in the end, while Gaara, Chouji and Shikamaru civilly, unlike the others, discussed about which restaurant had seemed the best out of the ones they hadn't visited.

"We should ask Naruto and Hinata," Ino furiously exclaimed. "They'll probably agree with _me_!"

"There they come! Oi, Naruto! Hinata!" Kankorou shouted.

"Hi," Naruto and Hinata said right on cue as they arrived. Temari looked at them with a smirk.

"Ooh, seems like we've a new couple," she teased as she saw Hinata's hand in Naruto's.

"Well… yeah," Hinata said with a shy smile, a tint of red decorating her cheeks.

"NANI?!" everyone else shouted, except Shikamaru and Ino.

"And anyhow," Naruto coughed, "I think we should ride the Ferris Wheel."

The rest of the gang exchanged meaningful glances, and nodded, walking off towards the aforementioned ride.

_Well…_, Sakura thought with a smile as she sighed happily. _I can't say that this class trip hasn't been fun. I want to go on more trips like that. _

She then glanced at the others, who were all very happy, too, and she added sadly in her thoughts_: But I wonder if we can do that… I'll miss them all so much. _

"Oi." Sakura suddenly found Sasuke's arm around her shoulders. "What're you thinking about?"

"Wha? Er… no, nothing." _And most of all Sasuke-kun… _

Sasuke inspected her face closely, before smirking: "Don't think too much." And as his lips met hers, she forgot about all her troubles.

* * *

I hope this chapter didn't majorly suck. -.- I've been extremely busy lately, even busier than usual, actually - now, at the end of the term, ALL teachers are fighting (okay, not literally) about setting test dates before it's too late (we can have a maximum of two-three tests per week according to some kind of law, I think, or maybe it's just common sense), so now I've more work to do than ever! x.x And whenever I have free time, I feel so tired that my brain mostly lacks ideas e.e; So I watch anime, play games, or talk to my friends instead. Besides, in a week or two, I'll have to go Christmas shopping, so I need to start planning on what to give to my 7-8 friends and my sister and parents unless I want to start stressing the last few days before Christmas Eve like my sister does o.x;

Also, I've a new fic, but I've only received one review! x.x; Can't you guys please read it and tell me what you think? The love triangle's a bit complicated - it's Kiba x Hinata x Naruto x Sakura x Sasuke x Sakura x Sai. XD; But it's just to make it lesser predictable. Anyhow, Sakura's getting married to Naruto in that fic, but she wonders if it's really what she wants...

* * *

**Reviews Corner (Holy crap! We're reaching 700 reviews, folks! O.O 700 reviews! KEEP ON REVIEWING! x3)**

**MANY THANKS TO...**

**frienz4ever (No, I haven't been planning that. XD Actually, I've thought of just finishing those bonus chapters and the very last 'real' chapters and just start the sequel, but with Christmas and New Year's coming up, I'm wondering if I shouldn't do a bonus chapter for that, too, seeing how it's perfect bonus chapter material. o.o; And also, your surprise is... whichever scenario will be chosen in the end, you'll be able to choose ONE old couple to be more featured in the chapters than the others:D Private Message me which one you want, just not SasuSaku, because I've other plans for them. :) )**

**Ur2tRoUbLeSoMe90**

**ShiokuXRose (Hahah, I was too curious so I found out the ending anyway, so... XDD Aww, Tidus and Yuna are just too cute. :3 I love that kiss in the Macalania Woods! And the ending of X2, it was just way too... awww... XDDD)**

**Freedomstar999**

**Cunning Angel (Lol. XD My geography sucks too. Can you believe I've lived in the same place for thirteen years and am surprised to find out there's a train station behind McDonalds where I live? o.o; I've been going to that place ever since I learnt to walk, and my mom was like, one day, 'Yes, and your sister doesn't even know there's a train station behind McDonalds here!' And I'm like... 'Uh, there is one there?' XDD And it's not like it's newly built or something, it has been there for +13 years XDDD)**

**citygirl1693**

**hushhushyou (Copenhagen:P That's the capital of Denmark. XD)**

**silverdragon994**

**bunnyandpuppylover (Yeah o.O; How so?)**

**une see**

**littlechineseazngirl**

**jami16 (No, actually not. :P If you don't want a spoiler, then don't read this, but... ehm, somebody, NOT Kakashi, and Kurenai were declared a canon couple in the manga XD; But then, who knows what will happen between Kakashi and Kurenai after that:P (Even though I wouldn't such a big fan of them if they got together after the death of, well, _that _somebody, seeing how my own almost-to-be boyfriend died in a car crash and now my friends are pestering me about my almost-to-be boyfriend's friend liking me, saying that oooh, you SOOOO like him when I'm still in love with Zed. o.o))**

**nickygirl**

**Blackieismybaby**

**rebel-girl (Yes, she is :) I was surprised to find out Konohamaru was Asuma's nephew, I wonder who's Asuma's sibling? o.O But poor Shika, Ino and Chouji... :( And most of all, poor Kurenai!)**

**Green Animelover**

**Uchiha Rose**

**callmeAZN**

**HeartAngel (Congrats:P I suck at running, I'm one of the last to finish. XD)**

**Pale Moonlit Nightsky**

**Kawaii IceCream**

**Inuzuka Nin**

**AnimatedAlchemy**

**themangaloverofdoom**

**Yin's Crescent**

**Crazy Gal42 (Three months? x.x It seems like it's been more than a _year_! All those fillers drive me crazy e.e)**

**everlasting memories**

**00asianwriter00**

**inner soul**

**Kaoru-chan PL (It's okay :D I totally understand you, I've loads of work to do, that's why updates have been so slow lately :( And FFX and FF X-2! OH MY GOD! x33333 And yay, I get to play both Suteki da ne on cello and piano! I thought my teacher hadn't even heard of FF (actually, he hadn't XD) and then he shows me this song 'Melody of Life' and I'm all... huh? Isn't this familiar? And he starts playing it, and I'm like HOLY SHIT! IT'S SUTEI DA NE!!! XDDDD)**

**iamNOTafangirl3221**

**MELCAR16**

**ruichi (Yes, I know T.T; I hate being a student, you know, I don't have time for ANYTHING! x.x)**

**animedreamerz05 (Hmm, well... there're long distance relationships, you know:P And they've soon graduated from high school, then they can live together or something. XD But then again, that's for me to know and you to find out, ;))**

**I LOVE REVIEWS, SO KEEP ON REVIEWING:D Sorry for the late updates, I've been drowning into a sea of tests lately T.T They're all so difficult! I received an A-/B+ (he'll see my previous tests in order to set my final grade), A- (on an ENGLISH ESSAY! I was horrified, can you believe it, that was the best essay I had EVER written and he was like... nah, it isn't really academic and the metaphors seem to belong more in stories than in actual articles), A (on an English test) and A/A+ on a Chinese test (97/100). But I loooove reading your reviews. So feed the hungry review-eating monster that is your dear author Tsukiko, and REVIEW, people:D**


	29. Author's Note II

**Hello, minna-san:D Tsukiko no Yuki here. I've some announcements for y'all! **

Lately, I've been even busier than normal. It's difficult to find the perfect moment to sit down and write a new chapter, and the hardest thing is that... since Shy-Princess is apparently not interested in a bonus chapter, I've therefore let you guys decide a new one - but unfortunately, nobody has requested a new bonus chapter!

Also, kawaii chibi sasuke luver has missed the opportunity to get a bonus chapter! Meaning _TWO _bonus chapters are available! So start requesting, folks, unless you want even slower updates!

Remember, Private Message me the details, and NOT too many details, NOT a too big plot, and NOT too many pairings:D

- Tsukiko-chan

P.S. I've published a new fic, When Spring Comes (HitsuHina, Bleach). And also, for those who're interested in what's going in my life, check out my little corner in the end of my profile:D D.S.


	30. BONUS! Bonding through Broccoli

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Naruto.

* * *

**BONUS CHAPTER 4!!!! **

dedicated to...

iamNOTafangirl3221

The couple(s) or character(s) it's dedicated to is/are: KakaKure (I have also added some AsuKureKakaAnko :P)

A fluffy bonus chapter whose details I altered a little upon receiving the request :P I'd have loved to use the other idea you had, iamNOTafangirl, but it was too detailed, and I prefer to write chapters that I've composed myself, only the main idea someone else's xD;

Enjoy!

* * *

---

♥ Chapter XXVIII: Bonding through Broccoli♥  
---

One day, she just said that.

Everything had been going fine until then. At least, in Kakashi's opinion. She was sexy and he was hot. The perfect couple. People used to stare after them wherever they went. They were happy, they were sappy (not), and they were _in love_.

Okay, so not entirely. Kakashi would never admit if he had had any feelings for her.

Because he didn't.

And that was why she had asked that question.

"Why do you keep ignoring me?"

So, he had told her the truth.

"I don't love you."

She had been silent, showing neither sadness nor happiness. Her face remained cold and stern, and he was impressed by how untouched she seemed by his hard words.

"Then why are you with me?"

He pondered. He had thought about it for a long time, toying around with his own feelings to see what his true goal was. If he didn't love her, it must be something that made him do this. He didn't do such drastic things such as break somebody's heart merely for the fun of it.

And she knew it too.

"I want you to love me. I want to prove you love me." It was a lie. _**I** want to learn how to love **somebody else**_. They both knew.

"You're lying," she had said.

"I know," he had replied.

And they hadn't spoken since.

And she didn't regret it. She had told all her friends about how their relationship had come to an abrupt end, and she wasn't sorry about it. She said she didn't love him anymore either.

But she didn't show them the tears she shed when she had turned her back to him and walked off without a goodbye. And sometimes, Mitarashi Anko couldn't help but wonder how it would have been if he had loved her too.

---

One day, she just said it the way she had said back then. Back when both Kakashi and Anko, and Asuma and Kurenai had been known as the hottest couples of Sakura Mankai High, students included. "Why do you keep ignoring me?"

The question took him by surprise, but he didn't show it. He merely smiled. "You ignore me too."

Pause. "I don't. You're the one ignoring me. Besides…" She looked at him with piercing eyes similar to a hawk's. "… what are you doing with that Yuhi woman?"

"Yuhi woman? You mean Kurenai?"

"Yes… rumors have been flying about lately, you know."

"That's why you've come to me?"

"Well…" **_Told you that you should've listened to me. Then it wouldn't have ended up this way_**, Inner Anko yawned. **_You know, sometimes you're not very little slow to get things._**

_Oh, shut up. _"No," she added at last. "I was wondering if you wanted to come along to that new restaurant, _Bonding through Broccoli_."

"The one with their famous broccoli soup?" Kakashi raised an eyebrow. "Why don't you bring Genma or somebody else?"

"Oh, Genma…" Anko tried to wipe off the troubled expression she knew she wore on her face. Last time she had seen her ex-boyfriend was in Tsunade's office, passionately kissing Shizune, Tsunade's secretary. "Um, he's busy."

"Really." Kakashi looked at her in amusement. "What time?"

"How about tomorrow night, eight o'clock?"

"Sure. Where to meet?"

"You aren't going to pick me up?"

"I can do that too. Where do you live?"

Anko moaned. "And you call yourself a geography teacher."

"What does that have to do with this?" he wondered with a dazed grin.

"You went to my house plenty of times before. Shouldn't you have the _slightest _memory of where it is?"

"Place d'Italie? Montmartre? Oh, I know… it's somewhere close to the Louvre, isn't it?"

Anko could only slap her forehead.

---

Anko looked at her own reflection in the glass of the mirror with frustration. What was _wrong _with her? Why couldn't a single cloth look right when she wore it?

"_Très bien_," her roommate, Angèle, remarked with sparkling eyes of excitement. "You know, _chérie_, you could be a model instead of a teacher. _Voila, mesdames et messieurs, la princesse de mode de l'année! _"

"Iie," Anko snorted. "I don't look good. At all."

"_Pourquoi_?" Angèle wondered, astounded. "You should be happy, _chèrie_. Plenty of girls would be jealous of your looks."

_Not as jealous as of that Yuhi woman_, she thought angrily. _For god's sake, everybody likes her. Popular, beautiful, kind and smart – no wonder Kakashi fell for her. Argh! Even Tsunade wants them to be together. Perfect girl and perfect boy. Ugh, just the thought grosses me out._

It hadn't always been like that. Back in their childhoods, Anko and Kurenai had been close friends. But then Anko started attending Konoha School, because of Orochimaru's well-known reputation as one of the best PE teachers in Japan, but when the scandalous news of Orochimaru being a child-molester reached Anko's parents' ears, she switched back to the Academy, but had already gone through a thorough personality change ever since the Orochimaru incident – in which she was one of the children he 'accidentally' molested – and drifted apart from Kurenai, who was one of the most popular girls in school.

Ever since then, they spoke rarely, and when Anko and Kakashi broke up and people started rumors about him being together with Kurenai, Anko's dislike of her ex-best friend increased.

"Well… I don't know." Anko frowned. "I just don't like it."

"You're really strange sometimes," Angèle sighed. "_Tu sais, _you'd be a beauty queen if you'd only care about your looks, _chèrie_. You've never cared about fashion and style before, have you?"

Anko resisted the urge to tell her about her early childhood and when she had first fallen in love with Kakashi. Back when Anko and Kurenai had still been little, they had loved to play princesses. They'd dress up so that everybody would notice them and adore them, and they dreamed of finding their 'knights that fight dragons' someday. But when they once again reunited, Anko had already become quite a tomboy. The only thing that didn't make her seem the slightest male were her more or less _revealing _tops.

Then Kakashi had come into a new light in her eyes, and she had desperately – but as discreetly as possible – tried to dress up so he would notice her. And indeed he had… but without loving her.

All he had seen was Kurenai. Or a failed _clone _of Kurenai, emphasizing the words 'failed' and 'clone'.

"No," she muttered instead. "I never will, either."

"It's funny to see you dress up like this, _chèrie_," Angèle giggled. "You never do otherwise."

"Urusai ne," Anko said irritably as she bit her lower lip. "Do something about it instead."

"I have already shown you everything I've got, _chèrie_. _C'est tout._"

"Okay then, how about this…"

Anko told her the idea that had just found its way to her brain. In her opinion, it was brilliant. But Angèle looked doubtful as Anko finished her speech.

"_Tu es sûr, chèrie? _I don't think it's such a good idea…"

"Why not?" Anko grinned. "It's your favorite, isn't it?"

"But… the broccoli soup…"

"You think I'm _clumsy_? Don't insult me, Angèle."

"Ah… but, _chèrie_…" Angèle heaved a deep sigh. "Isn't it too… formal?"

"That's the point."

"_Mon dieu_!" Angèle muttered. "Okay then, I'll lend it to you…"

---

Kakashi was, for once, not late. He leaned against the pole, inhaling and exhaling deep breaths, before glancing at his wristwatch. _Five past eight. _His gaze wandered to the house. _Where the hell is she? _

"I'm sorry I'm late," a voice said behind him. Twisting around, he saw Anko – but stared in amazement at her dress. It was a deep red evening gown that showed her slim waist, and a golden necklace decorated her neck. "Sorry, did I surprise you?"

He could see it. The mischievous grin that was twitching in her otherwise formal smile, and he rolled his eyes. "I didn't know the restaurant required formal dressing?"

"No, I just felt for it." She smirked. "Why, does it bother you?"

"Not particularly," he remarked. "So, are we going or not? It's already…" He looked at his wristwatch again. "Ten past eight."

"Tch, and I should hear that from you."

---

Anko stood in the ladies' room, heaving a deep sigh.

The dinner went fine – but if considering this dinner a 'date', it'd be most likely called a mere catastrophe. Anko recalled having spoken of more formal and boring things with him as they ate, such as weather, pupils and salary.

Suddenly, she heard a familiar voice.

A _too _familiar voice.

"Shizune?" A giggle. "It went excellent! You know, somehow I've missed being with him so much…" Pause. "Kakashi?" Another pause. "No, he's… ah, just forget it. Forget I ever told you, okay? Wha – no – what're you talking about? Me? Like Kakashi? Ha! It'd be most likely the other way arou – oh, hey, Anko." **(A/N: Yeah, so Kurenai and Shizune aren't good friends in the series, I know, but there aren't many other adult females… -.-; )**

"Kurenai," Anko replied coldly.

"Um… Shizune? I'll talk to you later. Yeah. All the details. Bye." She ended the conversation, and then smiled at Anko. "So what're you doing here, then?"

"Me? Well, I'm on a date," she responded nonchalantly. "With Kakashi," she added somewhat triumphantly, upon seeing Kurenai's surprised face, which was quickly replaced by a most reluctant scowl.

"Really." Kurenai seemed to force herself to utter the word. "… How… nice. Um, I'm actually on a date myself. With Asuma."

"Uh-huh. Nice dress," Anko commented nastily as she inspected Kurenai's dressing. She was wearing the exact same evening gown.

"I second that," Kurenai answered politely. "So, you've taken up your old habits again, ne?"

"What old habits?" Anko spat. Her mood was just getting worse and worse. First the failed attempt of a date, and now Kurenai…

"You remember when we were kids and we played princesses? You used to care about your clothing back then. You seemed to drop that when you came into the School, and then when you came back to the Academy," Kurenai continued, "and you know, back when we were kids, we always dressed in the same dresses, remember? Just that you preferred pink, of what I can recall."

Anko grunted somewhat inaudible. _So she still remembers. _"I think I've got to get back to my date," she hastily snapped. "I guess I'll see you around soon."

And with those words, she exited. Little did she know just _how _soon the two would reunite…

---

"Kakashi! Yo! What'cha doing here?"

Astounded, Kakashi looked up, only to see Asuma stand beside him and then swiftly taking the seat next to him. "On a date," Kakashi responded. "How about you?"

"The same," Asuma winked. "So who're you dating, then?"

"Anko." Kakashi paused, and then hid some suspicion as he once again spoke: "You?"

"Kurenai." Asuma couldn't help but notice Kakashi flinch at this. "Yeah, I know, it's astonishing that we're back on track again, but I guess it's not that much. Just one measly date, you know? She just came around and asked me what I was up to, and I said nothing, and she mentioned this restaurant and we just came to the point that we both wanted to go and had nobody to go with, so we ended up like this. I don't know if it's much of a date, actually."

"… Okay." Kakashi looked about. "So, where's Kurenai then?"

"She's in the ladies room. Anko too, huh?"

"Yeah, I guess –"

"Kakashi! I'm back –" Anko stopped short. "Oh. Hey, Asuma."

"Yo." Asuma grinned. "Nice to see ya again, Anko. Nice dress, too. Mind if me and Kurenai join you guys?"

Kakashi and Anko's faces couldn't have become stiffer than they already were.

---

"This broccoli soup is quite delicious, isn't it?" Kurenai stated.

"Hmph. I'd say it's downright gross," Anko argued. "Don't you agree, Kakashi?"

"I think it's okay," said Kakashi.

"Who listens to Kakashi?" Kurenai snarled. "Asuma, don't you think it's great too?"

"Well, it doesn't exactly live up to the rumors, but it's quite nice," Asuma agreed cautiously, looking at them in surprise. "What're you all getting so worked up about? It's only food."

"No, food is actually a very important part of the human's daily life," Anko retorted. "You know, food… it keeps a human alive."

"Like he doesn't know that," Kurenai snapped. "He's a biology teacher, dammit."

Anko's face went red, before she responded: "I was just afraid _you _wouldn't get it, Kurenai."

"Okay, that's enough," Asuma interrupted them shortly. "Anko, please don't insult my date. And can't we just eat in peace?"

"Hmph. There he goes, the peace-maker who doesn't even know what's going on," Anko muttered. "If you knew what was going on, you'd probably not let it be."

"Urusai," Kurenai growled. "Like you know a lot, Anko-_hime_."

"You shut up, Kurenai-_hime_, don't act all high and mighty because you think you're still a princess. Don't be childish."

"Who's the one childish here? You claim I've imitated your dress, when it's the other way around. Since when did you start liking red?"

"Tch, I did it long before you," Anko snorted. "Just like I liked Kakashi long before you."

A tense silence followed.

"Who said I liked Kakashi?" Kurenai hissed through gritted teeth.

"It's just so friggin' obvious," Anko sneered bitterly. "You've done it all the time."

"I haven't," Kurenai denied.

"Oh yes, you have. When you broke up with Asuma, who did you run off talking to for hours? Who accompanied you? Don't pretend you're not having feelings for him."

"If I had feelings for him," Kurenai challenged, "Why would I be sitting here with Asuma?"

The two men suddenly seemed caught up in the conversation, not daring to interrupt their fighting dates. Anko followed suit by replying: "Because you're trying to get over him."

"I'm NOT!" Kurenai yelled.

"You are."

"Not!"

"Are."

"Not!"

"Are!"

"NOT!"

"ARE!"

"SHUT UP, BOTH OF YOU!" The two angered women suddenly stopped and stared at Asuma, who seemed annoyed. "Okay, finally. Either way, can you two speak of this later? As of now, I'd like to leave."

"But… Asuma…," Kurenai said desperately.

"Gomen ne, Kurenai. Let's dine some other time."

"Demo…"

"Sayounara." He took his coat and left. Kurenai glared at Anko, who smirked. Without another word, Kurenai stomped off, leaving Kakashi and Anko alone at the table once more.

"Finally," Anko sighed. "Boy, is she stubborn –"

"I'm leaving, too," Kakashi cut across her and started running in Kurenai's direction. Anko stared after his retreating back, before she suddenly felt a rage overtake her and crushing the glass of lemon water in her hand.

---

"Chotto matte! Kurenai!"

Kurenai suddenly felt a hand grasp her arm. Slapping it away, she turned around, fuming, facing a somewhat blank-faced Kakashi. "Nanda? You've come to annoy me, too?"

"Iie." Kakashi silenced, before continuing: "I just wondered –"

"If you wondered about whether I like you or not," Kurenai snapped, furrowing her eyebrows, "The answer is no, I do not."

No answer came. "I see," he said at last. "But that was not my question."

"Oh?" Kurenai raised one of her eyebrows. "So what was the question?"

"… Whether you're dating Asuma or not?"

"… I don't know. But seeing how it went this evening, I guess it's no, I aren't. How so?"

"No… I was just curious."

Kurenai looked at him wonderingly, but Kakashi spoke no more. Shrugging, Kurenai walked off. "Well, I guess I'll see you at school. Ja ne."

Kakashi could only look at her retreating back, just as Anko had done when he had run off. _So, she doesn't like me, huh… _He smirked. _Should I take that as an invite for a challenge?_

_

* * *

_Hmm, well, so not the best chapter I've ever written x.x; I hope it was okay, though. I've been so busy lately, so that whenever I've felt inspired I haven't had time for writing, and now when I finally do, I've got Writer's Block again. I've the worst timing ever. But since I haven't updated this fic for too long, I forced myself to write, and this was the result. -sigh- I hope it's okay. 

For anyone who's interested what else's going on, check out the new corner in the end of my profile :D That way you can see why I update slowly, or fast, or make sudden decisions or whatever. :)

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**Reviews Corner (HOLY SHIT! 700 REVIEWS! O.O ARIGATOU, MINNA!) **

Thank you VERY much...

Merridaine

Kawaii IceCream

bunnyandpuppylover (Yeah, shopping is fun but really exhausting :P I shopped for approximately five and a half hours yesterday, and when I came home, I just made myself fall onto my parents' large, soft bed (mine is small T.T), and I lay there for almost an hour, until my mom came in :P)

**rebel-girl **(Yup :D Tivoli is one of the first amusement parks in the world, isn't it? Or at least I think so. It's in Copenhagen, Denmark - I've been to it a couple of times - and it's real fun, but I guess if you compare it to American amusement parks, it isn't that exciting :P But it's exciting all the same... at least for somebody who lives in Sweden, where there are a maximum of three amusement parks, I think e.e And out of the three, two are so small that almost nobody outside of that certain area of cities knows of its existence. Chapter idea, huh? Hmm, you can always ask readers to make bonus chapter requests, like me ;) Or if it isn't a bonus chapter and merely fluff, how about karaoke singing? I've had the idea in my mind for some time, but then I figured I'm not good at writing about people singing karaoke. :P)

**ShiokuXRose **(-takes it back from your cousin x3- Nobody should try to survive the absence of FF X and X-2. XDDD Okay, I'm a bit hyper because I ate chocolate, sorry xD)

**pinkicing101 **

P-Prince

Kaoru-chan PL (Happy late birthday ;D I live in Sweden :D But yay, thank God all the tests are over now:D Now it's only time for my 'final grades'... ugh... in Sweden, there're only four grades - Not Acceptable (IG), Acceptable (G), Well Acceptable (VG), Very Well Acceptable (MVG)... I was actually hoping for a lot of MVGs, but as of now I only know I've got MVG in 6-7 subjects out of 16 (or are there 17?)... :()

**A Broken Cherry Blossom **

Blackieismybaby

Ur2tRoUbLeSoMe90

callmeAZN (Sakura leaves in 'two weeks'... that is, in about 1-2 months for us I guess :P Unless I speed up with my writing of bonus chapters and release them faster than usual :P)

**Crazy Gal42 **(Hah, Sweden doesn't even air Naruto :P I download the episodes from Dattebayo XD And wow, your birthday was the same as Zed's! O.O Happy late birthday! I want to cut my hair too... I've no money for that, though x( After this Christmas, I'll be broke xD)

**pilar-ayesha **

AnimatedAlchemy

cutiepug66

jami16

Freedomstar999

onyx eyed kitten (Hahah, I'm already shivering at the thought of me driving :P I'd probably either drive right into a tree or something, just because I'm daydreaming, or accidentally notice that I've taken the wrong road and is on my way to a completely different city, or wonder how I should get back home because the bus I take everyday drives that road home, but yet I can't recognize the stores and everything that's around XD Either way, I'm too young (13 years old), but in Sweden you can get a driving license when you're 15 and start driving when you're 18. XP But I prefer to wait until I'm 19 or something... college, huh? My sister is studying at college too, and she just laughs when I complain about having 30 pages for my test. XD)

**WeaponMistress330 **

une see

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**nickygirl **(Yup, they know :D)

**Green Animelover **

HeartAngel (Thanks:D But hey, 19:52 is actually good, considering how _I _run x.x; But then again, I suck at PE XD; It's the only subject that I find even worse than cooking, because I'm actually a somewhat fast learner when it comes to cooking. But PE... I don't know, I'm only good at tabletennis, it's the only sport I can actually handle x.x; Running, soccer, swimming and riding a bike are the things I really suck at D: Soccer is actually easier out of the four, because then I can just stand by and watch, because I'd just be worthless on the field, and being a guard (? in Swedish, it's målvakt goal-guard) is even worse, seeing how I'm afraid of the ball, and having had bad experiences concerning flying soccer balls doesn't help either xD)

**paintupurple **

Archerelf

CrAzY-SiLLy-Me

**WOW! 700 REVIEWS! O.O Guys, you don't know how much this means to me!! I was practically dancing around the room XD We're reaching 1000 reviews, you know! It's just... SUGOI:D Onegai, keep reviewing!!  
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**

* * *

**

**_Coming Up Next..._ **

**_The 5th bonus chapter, Cookie Love, a tribute to Narutofan Forums' "Gaara Loves Cookies Fanclub"! _**

**What happens when you mix two cranky Sand brothers, two cute girls, a crazy/hyper dad and HELLUVA lot of cookies?**

"Gaa-chan? Kan-chan?! WHAT THE HELL IS THAT? Is that... SAND? Not you too, Kan-chan!!! Oh, kami, another sand-obsessed son - BLFRGH!"

"Urusai, otou-san. And STOP CALLING ME KAN-CHAN! It's cookies."

"NANDA?! I SHOULD CALL YOU COOKIES?!"

"HELL NO, BAKA! I SAID THAT THOSE ARE COOKIES!"

"... Nani?"

**The result is... LUV! **

"Bonjour messieurs, nous vendons les tartes, gateaux et -"

"Do you've a boyfriend?"

"... What?"

**And BAKING! A lot of ground-breaking (not) secrets are revealed... **

"... Gaara, what the hell is that supposed to be? A bear? It isn't exactly romantic with bears, you know."

"It's a heart."

"... Oh. Um... Jason's heart?"

"Jason is not a bear, idiot."

"But it said so in _Fruits Basket_!"

"... Since when did you start reading _Fruits Basket_?"

"What? I mean... I mean _Prison Break_."

**Thus, DON'T MISS THE NEXT CHAPTER OF THIS IS NOT MY FIRST TIME! Scheduled to come next week! ;) Also, the evil author of this story is also planning to write a Christmas-themed chapter... XD**


	31. BONUS! Cookie Love

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Naruto.

* * *

**BONUS CHAPTER 5!!!! **

dedicated to...

The Gaara Loves Cookies Fanclub in _Narutofan Forums_!

The couple(s) or character(s) it's dedicated to is/are: GaaOC, KankoOC

A parody chapter in which Gaara and Kankorou meets two gorgeous girls in a bakery... and apply for jobs!

Enjoy!

* * *

---

♥ Chapter XXIX: Cookie Love ♥  
---

"Temari. What the _heck _is _that_?" Kankorou's eye twitched as he eyed his younger blonde sister, Temari, sit at the kitchen table and gobble up what seemed to be…

… cookies?

"Cookies, bakayaro. What do you think?" she grunted as she stuffed another one in her already full mouth.

"I was just surprised that you ate _cookies_," Kankorou snorted. "I mean, it's so girly."

Temari spat a piece of cookie at him. "Pch! Baka, cookies aren't girly. Anyway, are you trying to call me a guy?!"

"Ow! Yeah, you _are _unusually tomboyish… ow! Ow! OW! STOP SPITTING AT ME, DAMN BAKA – OW!!"

"Geez, you're so noisy. What the hell are you doing anyway?" Gaara sighed, as the red-haired eighteen-year-old stepped into the kitchen. "It's just nine a.m., can't you keep it quiet? You'll awake otou-san if you keep making noise like that."

"So what? He deserves to be awakened," Temari said with a muffled voice. "It isn't like _he _has never awakened us."

"That's not what I meant," Gaara moaned. "I meant, do you really want to torment us – and yourself – by awakening him?"

"Hmm. That's a point," Temari said with furrowed eyebrows as she munched on some more cookies.

"What is it you're eating anyway?" Gaara wanted to know as he eyed her maniac-like eating.

"Cookies!" Temari beamed happily.

"Cookies?" Gaara repeated in disbelief, being rewarded cookie pieces spat at him. "Ow!"

"What is it that is so astonishing with it anyway?" Temari fumed. "Is it a crime for a girl to eat cookies?"

"A girl?" Gaara's left eyebrow arose. "I didn't really know you actually _admitted _you were a girl – OW!"

"What's this noise this early, my dear children?" a voice boomed from the doorway. "Are you having a row?"

"Oh no," Kankorou groaned.

"No, we're not, dad," Temari said calmly as she began chewing on a new cookie.

"Oh yes, you must!" The man who was supposedly the three siblings' father swept into the room, wearing a white pajama with ducks on. "What else could cause this havoc this early? Huh?!"

"Cookies," Temari replied simply as Kankorou and Gaara backed away from the scene, leaning against the wall to avoid their father.

"Thank God he isn't properly awake yet," Gaara mumbled to his older brother. Kankorou could only nod in agreement.

"Cookies?!"

A vein popped on Temari's head. "WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH THAT, ANYWAY?"

Silence. A long, long silence that made the two brothers terrified; not only had their sister's wrath awakened, but also –

"Tema-chaaaaan! You're eating COOKIES! Oh, how WONDERFUL! God bless my soul! He has FINALLY heard my prayers! Oh, maybe I can finally have my daughter married and let my soul rest in peace, happily aware that I've grandchildren – OUAFRGH!"

The two brothers backed away some more as they saw their hyperactive father punched to the wall, their sister towering over him, fire blazing in her eyes. "You crazy man," she hissed furiously, "WHAT DO YOU MEAN WITH THAT, HUH? YOU'RE TRYING TO SAY I'M NOT GIRLY ENOUGH TO GET MARRIED, HUH?!?!"

"Oh, kami…," Gaara sighed. "Just another normal day, huh?"

---

Temari stared in horror at the jar of cookies.

"… Th-th-th-the…"

Oh, the horror.

"… Th-th-the c-c-c-c-c-coo-coo –"

Kankorou looked anxiously at his younger sister. "What's wrong, Temari?"

"The cookies…," Temari managed to whisper. "…they're… gone."

Silence. Oh, horrific silence.

"THE COOKIES!" Temari yelled. "THE COOKIES! AAAARGH! NOOOO! NOOOO!"

"Tema-chan?" Their father peeked in from the doorway, bandage decorating his head. "What is it you're – UFRGH!"

"What's going on?" Gaara tiredly asked as he stepped into the kitchen, only to find his father cowering with Temari holding a frying pan over his head, several veins popping on her head.

"Temari's cookies are gone," Kankorou explained to his brother.

"YOU! HAVE YOU EATEN THE COOKIES?" Temari demanded, swinging the frying pan dangerously above her father's already bandaged head.

"N-no, Tema-chan," he whimpered. "Please, don't hit me – OW!"

"DON'T LIE TO ME!" Temari exploded. "GET – THE – COOKIES – NOW!"

"Tema-chan, I – ow! Ow! Ow! OW! Oh, kami… OW!"

After striking several blows, Temari turned to her brothers, rage still imprinted on her face. Both instantly backed off, but her death glare, that was even worse than Tenten's, stopped them. "You," she snarled, "GET ME THE COOKIES! NOW!"

"H-h-hai! Where did you buy them?" Kankorou asked.

"YOU IDIOT! AT THE BAKERY, OF COURSE!" Temari shrieked, lunging at him with the frying pan. Kankorou miraculously survived by dodging it. "THE BAKERY AROUND THE CORNER! IT'S NEW! NOW, GET ME THOSE COOKIES!"

"Yes, ma'am," Gaara and Kankorou said at the same time before dashing out of the house.

---

"Where was that bakery now again?" Kankorou muttered as he and Gaara proceeded down the street.

"Around the corner," Gaara yawned. "Temari is really insane, isn't she?"

"Aa." Kankorou shook his head. "I can't even believe that that bonehead Shikamaru is her _friend_… or Tenten and the others, too. I wonder if they've even seen her gone mad."

"They have," Gaara replied. "It's just that their gang is so full of fearsome women, that they aren't really frightened of her anymore."

"Honestly?" Kankorou quirked an eyebrow upwards. "I mean, the bun-head girl is dangerous, alright, but what about Uchiha's girlfriend? And Shikamaru's? I mean, sure as hell they can't be as threatening. And gosh, that Hyuuga kid, it's enough to talk with her to make her faint."

"I've heard from Temari Shikamaru's girlfriend has the same temper as she does. They've lots in common, apparently." He shrugged. "I don't know about Uchiha's girlfriend, though. I mean, she did argue with the bun-head and Uchiha at the Tivoli, didn't she?"

"Yeah, I guess." Kankorou scratched his head. "Oh, we're here."

That was when the two teens saw _them_.

It was a… _divine _sight. For the first time in his life, Kankorou could actually admit he had had a _religious _experience, though he didn't have any religion at all.

"Bonjour messieurs, nous vendons des tartes, gateaux et - " **(A/N: Okay, so it is a bit weird that they're saying that when it's quite clear they've just stepped into a bakery, but originally my idea was to make them go around and sell cookies by going to people's homes, but then I changed my mind, but didn't bother changing the scene, because I was afraid you guys wouldn't recognize it otherwise. xD; )**

It was Gaara who interrupted the angelic voice. "… Do you've a boyfriend?"

"What?"

The first girl stared, confounded, at him. "Excuse me?"

"… I asked if you have a boyfriend?" Gaara repeated his question. Kankorou couldn't help but look at his brother in surprise. It was the first time Gaara had been acting like this; as a little kid, he had been a stubborn, aggressive child who didn't get along with anybody – least of all beautiful strangers.

But then again, his brother had made some process in social life later on in his teenage years, though still considered somewhat bizarre by others because of his adoration of sand. And also…this wasn't just some 'beautiful stranger'.

Heck, the people in front of them couldn't even be compared to angels. They were simply too pretty.

"Um, no, actually not," the first girl frowned. "But why would you ask that, _monsieur_?"

The second girl elbowed the first, and then hissed: "Just ignore it, Ayumi." Then she turned to Gaara and Kankorou again, smiling a smile that almost made them drool – quite a rare sight. "What would you like?"

"Er… cookies," Kankorou managed to stutter.

"What kind?"

"… Any kind you have," Gaara quickly answered. "By the way, is it hard to handle a bakery?"

Ayumi and her friend exchanged glances. "Well, actually, it's a bit difficult now in the beginning," Ayumi told him. "Me and Utada need helpers, but we can't really afford any." **(A/N: I was lacking names, so I decided to name them after two of Japan's pop stars – Ayumi Hamasaki and Utada Hikaru! I actually prefer Utada Hikaru's music, but Ayumi's name sounds better… oops, sorry for being random…) **

"Helpers?" Kankorou was awakened of his trance of admiration immediately. "We could help you! For free!"

Utada smiled amusingly. "You two can bake?"

"Yeah. I cook at home," Gaara proudly announced, which wasn't a lie… but he decided to keep the fact secret that the only thing he could actually cook was ramen, which wasn't exactly his fault, considering Naruto's influence on him, as the hyper blonde was the only one out of the three siblings' friends who actually dared to come visit them.

"Oh. For free? Truthfully?" Utada grinned. "Thanks!"

"No prob," Kankorou smirked back, feeling like a winner. _Aaaand Sabaku no Kankorou is the winner of the contest! No surprise, though, he totally DID kick everyone's ass at the competition! He's now crowned as the King of the World and Utada's fiancé… _

_**Oh, quit daydreaming, Outer Me. **_

"So, what time can you come and help?" Ayumi wondered.

"Well, any time," Gaara swiftly responded. "It's the winter holidays now, so we can just come by any time. We don't have much to do, anyway…"

"Great. How about you come by tomorrow at 10 a.m.? That's when most of our customers arrive. We open at eight, but me and Utada prefer to be alone in the mornings, because we don't really like having too much company around then."

"Okay."

"Now, to your cookies…" Utada stuck her tongue at her new helpers. "You don't honestly mean you're going to buy every kind, do you?"

---

Temari was… surprised. No, not exactly surprised.

_Stunned _with a capital S fitted better.

"You guys…"

It was not exactly like her brothers to do something like that. _No_, she corrected herself, _it's REALLY something they wouldn't do. It's like… the complete opposite of what they normally do. _

_I wonder what the hell has happened. Has the world been turned upside-down? No, wait… this can't be right. This must be a dream._

_"_Hey, Temari," Kankorou greeted, lazily waving his hand as he leaned back in the kitchen chair. Temari's astounded gaze scanned the table. It was COMPLETELY covered in a pile of cookies, of every single sort.

"Guys…" Temari's eyes were filled with tears, and she sniffed as cheesy music out of nowhere began to play: "That's just too nice…"

"Actually, these aren't for you," Gaara interrupted, and Temari's tears disappeared at once – as well as the cheesy music.

"What?" she snarled.

"These are ours," Kankorou added. "If you want any, go buy them yourself."

"Temee wa…," Temari hissed, her eyes a blazing red color. **(A/N: Ooh, Sharingan! Just kidding. 'Temee' is a very rude way of saying 'you'.)**

"But just as you know, we've bought every single cookie from the bakery, so if you want cookies, go somewhere else," Gaara cheerfully tipped her as he crunched on the corner of a chocolate chip cookie.

"WHAT?!" Temari thundered.

"Why, my dearest children," the three siblings' father said in a sing-song voice as he waltzed into the room with his unhurt leg (as the other was broken due to Temari's rampage), "Why are you making such a fuss about –"

He stopped dead. And stared.

And stared.

And STARED.

Until even Temari wondered, _WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH HIM?!_ and forgot about her precious cookies.

"Gaa-chan? Kan-chan?! WHAT THE HELL IS THAT? Is that... SAND? Not you too, Kan-chan!!! Oh, kami, another sand-obsessed son - BLFRGH!"

"Urusai, otou-san. And STOP CALLING ME KAN-CHAN! It's cookies," Kankorou irritably muttered as he nibbled on another cookie.

"NANDA?! I SHOULD CALL YOU COOKIES?!"

A vein popped on Kankorou's head. "HELL NO, BAKA! I SAID THAT THOSE ARE COOKIES!"

"... Nani?"

"Cookies, otou-san," Gaara calmly explained, "are a kind of… food. But it's baked, and it isn't really food as it couldn't be used for a meal, unless you buy as much as we have." He gestured at the table, and their father's eyes nearly popped out of his eyeholes.

Then he went silent, and said grievously: "And here I was overjoyed that my daughter had finally become enough girly to become a bride… and then my two sons became so as well – BLFRGHTRSCGH!"

"SHUT UP!" the three siblings thundered as they now stood towering over the poor man, holding one frying pan in each hand.

---

"Ohayou, er…" Utada glanced at them with an apologetic grin. "What were your names again?"

"Sabaku no Kankorou. This is my younger brother, Sabaku no Gaara," Kankorou grinned back.

"Oh. Right." Ayumi paused and put a cake for display on the shelf that could be seen from the window, so that passersby could see it. "So, are you familiar with baking?"

"Well, uh…" Kankorou could feel his face going slightly red.

Utada laughed. "I guessed so. You just came around to help us because you think we're pretty, right?"

"… That's not… exactly… why… uh…" Kankorou's face went even redder.

"What he means is that we partly did this because you are pretty, but we're also doing it because we want to be kind," Gaara supplied casually. "And also, we could have use of it too, as we need to improve our cooking grades."

"I thought you cooked at home?" Ayumi teasingly asked.

"Well, yes, if you call making ramen 'cooking'."

Utada sighed and scratched her head. "Okay… then I guess we've some teaching to do, don't we, Ayumi?"

---

"It seemed kind of easy," Kankorou remarked as the two sisters left the kitchen for them to practice. Gaara shrugged as he began to make rather large balls out of the cookie dough, then making them flat and trying to shape them. Kankorou sweatdropped at the sight of his brother's cookies.

"... Gaara, what the hell is that supposed to be? A bear? It isn't exactly romantic with bears, you know."

"It's a heart."

"... Oh. Um... Jason's heart?"

"Jason is not a bear, idiot."

"But it said so in _Fruits Basket_!"

"... Since when did you start reading _Fruits Basket_?"

"What? I mean... I mean _Prison Break_."

"Either way," Gaara changed the topic, "What do you mean, 'romantic'?"

"Well," Kankorou said as he quirked an eyebrow, "Didn't Utada and Ayumi tell us to think 'romantically', since we're making heart-shaped cookies?"

"Oh. Yeah."

Kankorou smirked. "What did you THINK I meant, eh? Ow!"

Gaara, who had thrown some cookie dough in his brother's face, turned away to hide the red tint playing on his cheeks. "Shut up."

---

"Hmm. Not too bad for your first try," Ayumi commented as she eyed the result of Gaara's and Kankorou's cookies. "But the hearts do look a bit funny, though…"

"Kankorou made them," Gaara spontaneously supplied. Kankorou's face turned bright crimson as he snapped:

"It was you who made them! Don't lie, Gaara!"

Utada giggled. "You two are just too funny. Either way, I guess you might do fine working in a bakery, after all."

"But don't you think it's a bit girly?" Ayumi wondered curiously. "A lot of guys would rather die than show up in a bakery with a pink apron."

"Um… well… no," Kankorou lied. "It's pretty nice, actually."

"You're lying," Utada firmly replied.

"Not!" Kankorou denied immediately.

"Are!" Utada insisted.

Ayumi chuckled. "You did it for us, huh?"

"… Yeah," Gaara responded as the two's siblings continued with their quarrel ("Not!", "Are!", "Not!", Are!").

"Hmm. Well, I guess it's worth a reward. Utada!" Ayumi annoyingly called on her sister, smacking her on the head.

"Ow! What, Ayumi?"

"These two deserve a reward, don't they?"

"I guess." Ayumi grinned. Then she exchanged glances with her sister again. "Do you think what I'm thinking?"

"Go ahead," Utada winked.

And the two walked forward to the puzzled brothers, kissing them on one cheek (Utada kissing Kankorou's, Ayumi kissing Gaara's), then walking off into the kitchen, giggling uncontrollably. Gaara and Kankorou only stared after them in a daze.

"Maybe working in a bakery wasn't that bad after all," Gaara said, and Kankorou could do nothing but agree.

* * *

Hmm, I was FAIRLY delighted with how this chapter turned out, but as some of you might have noticed, I'm hardly ever delighted with ANY chapter or fanfic I write. I'm sorry about the extreme delay, but guys, even when it's the holidays, I'm busy! x.x; And tired. Isn't it weird? I've got Writer's Block, too.. and all I can think about is Kingdom Hearts, my Christmas present from my parents! It's the most awesome RPG I've ever played, and though some people just start to laugh at the thought of Disney characters, I think you shouldn't prejudge the game just because it has Disney characters - I mean, it's not directed towards any particular age. 

Either way, I'll have to say Merry Late Christmas and a Very Happy New Year to you guys! Actually, I was going to write a Christmas-themed chapter where the girls drag out the boys on a shopping tour, where they meet Naruto's hyperactive parents (yes, more weird parents), but I was thinking that maybe I should trash the idea and just finish the remaining fillers and go on with the actual plot.

Also, my profile hasn't been updated for a while, but I'm going to update it soon, for those who actually go check what's up and why I'm updating so slow xD;

* * *

**Reviews Corner (holy shit, 750 reviews! We're getting close to 800! KEEP ON REVIEWING:D) **

Because I don't have a lot of time to answer all reviews now, I'm thinking of just answering a few questions that maybe you guys wonder about? More like a... Q&A part of the story.

**Q: Has the story ended?  
**A: No, it hasn't; it's just a period of bonus chapters, or 'fillers', as you may call it too. As some of the readers are tired of too much drama, I bring you some humor and fluff instead. :) There're actually two chapters left of the actual story, while there're about three, or four bonus chapters left.

**Q: What's this about a sequel? And which plot have you decided on?  
**A: Because of this fanfic's unexpected popularity (not to brag, but... :D), and my gratefulness for all the reviews I've received, I've decided to write a sequel! And which plot? Heh, it's a secret... (no, actually, I haven't decided. xD)

**Q: Why are you updating so slowly? Why can't you update every three days like you did in the beginning of the fanfic?  
**A: I don't know why, but I'm getting Writer's Block more and more often, and those times I don't, I'm often rudely interrupted by my parents who want to use the computer. Also, I'm very busy IRL. I hope you guys don't mind...

**Q: When do you play on ending the fillers?  
**A: Well, there're a few left. I'm enjoying writing these, actually, because they don't really have anything to do with the main plot (but, beware, some characters in the bonus chapters, or their actions, might be of importance in the sequel). The 800th reviewer, though, will not receive a bonus chapter in this fanfic, but in the next one. However, the bonus chapters will ALWAYS appear at the end, so the 800th reviewer will have to wait some time xD;

**Q: What's up with James? Why is he being so perverted, when he's so good-looking and can get girls anyway?  
**A: Well, my original plan was to just make James a nuisance, following Sakura around, so Sasuke can be jealous, but he ended up being downright evil - that's how he became perverted. And well, his attitude keeps the girls away. You've just see his 'romantic', perverted side; but before Sakura came to Paris, he was arrogant and loved to brag about every single 'deed' he had done, and he was also highly competitive when it came to other hot guys, such as Sasuke, for example. Besides, girls were more likely attracted to Sasuke than to him to start off with, so he didn't have many fangirls.

**Q: Whatever happened with Daiki? Did he ever find out that Cindy was cheating on him?  
**A: Well, no. What happened? Heheh... who knows? -smiles evilly-

**Q: What happened with James and Hikari?  
**A: Ah... another unsolved mystery. Hmm, as I said before, who knows? -evil smirk widens-

**Q: What's up with the Inners and their iPods?  
**A: I'm quite a fan of iPods, as I have one myself, and well... what are the Inners supposed to do when their Outer Selves are controlling the actions? Well, when they don't brainstorm or rant or give advice or talk to the Inners nearby, they listen to music or sleep. That's about it.

**Q: What will the SUFC do now when Sasuke has a girlfriend?  
**A: Continue to worship him. They all hate Sakura, but because she's _Sasuke_'s girlfriend, meaning she's important to Sasuke, according to the rules of SUFC, she is also important to them (Rule 101: Whatever is important to Sasuke is important to us as well), and because they want to get in touch with Sasuke, they're also doing their best to 'befriend' her, so they can 'befriend' Sasuke. Unfortunately, that plan doesn't really work, because both Sakura and Sasuke dislike the club.

**Q: Why is Sakura's aunt such a bitch?  
**A: She really isn't. She has a very rough way to show her love - she really does care about her niece, but the behavior in the beginning was just because she thought Sakura was too spoiled for her own good, so she tried to make Sakura see how 'true life' was. Her rough and tough attitude was just to show Sakura everything wasn't always going to go her way.

**Q: How old is Cindy, and where does she live?  
**A: Cindy is 18 years old, like Sasuke, Sakura and everybody else; she lives in the US together with Daiki. They're both 18, but since Daiki is an Uchiha, meaning he's rich, he has a private villa in the US in which he and Cindy lives together, despite being only girlfriend and boyfriend.

**Q: Do you hate Anko? Because you did bash her in the previous chapter.  
**A: I don't hate Anko. I don't really like her either. She's just neutral for me; but it was just to give Kurenai some competition. You know, since Asuma and Kurenai are/were officially together in the manga (oops, sorry for the spoiler!), I kind of figured they could be that too in the fic (but right now, they're not even dating), meaning Kakashi has competition. But it'd be unfair if Kakashi was the only one, since he seems the one to be clear about his feelings, while Kurenai is the more doubtful one. That's why I came up with the idea of having Anko being part of this, but in order to make Kakashi and Kurenai a couple... you have to make some sacrifices. XD Just kidding.

**Q: Why is Sakura going to leave now when the mess is gone?  
**A: Her parents want her to come home (or rather, her mother and stepsister want her to come home). Since she already was on the way home that day, they think it's just fair that she comes home now when she has already promised.

**I hope the questions were helpful for those who wondered. xD; Now I've really gotta go, but please review, minna! And ARIGATOU FOR THE REVIEWS!!! **

Also, rebel-girl, you've to request your bonus chapter soon, or else your bonus chapter will be given to someone else! (And if nobody claims it, I will make it my own)

**

* * *

****_Coming Up Next...  
The 6th bonus chapter, The Key to Victory! You Aren't Alone, requested by silverdragon994, a tribute to NejiTen! _**

What are three important things to remember when you're dating someone? One: Don't force your date to do anything he doesn't want to do!...

"Gomen, Tenten-chan, I can't go. I have a date with Naruto-kun..."

Suddenly, a voice interrupted them. "Hey, I'm fr-"

Tenten turned towards her boyfriend that was approaching them, her eyes fiery and threatening. "NEJI, I SWEAR IN KAMI'S NAME THAT IF YOU DON'T COME ALONG, I'LL FRIGGIN' KILL YOU WITH MY NOTEBOOK."

"Uh... okay... I was just about to say I was going to come anyway... but don't kill me, please?"

**... Two: Be polite and sweet. Try not to be too dominating... **

"I want to eat a hamburger!"

"But c'mon, Tenten, the noodles are really delicious. I promise, you'll absolutely LOVE them -"

"I. Want. Hamburger. _NOW_."

"... O... kay..."

**... and last but not least, Three: Don't reveal too many shocking secrets at once. Reveal them to your boyfriend pleasantly and slowly, so that he won't be scared off. **

"Neji..."

"Nanda?"

"... Nobody's at home."

"So what? You've got keys, haven't you?"

"... Er... actually..."

"NO. Don't tell me. You -"

"- forgot the keys in the girls' changing room at school, yeah."

"But can't you sleep in anybody else's house? Like... Sakura... or somebody..."

"Well, uh, Ino's parents are throwing this party for the staff of their company or something, so it'd be weird if I turned up there and just asked for a room to sleep in. Sakura's aunt doesn't have a spare room, because her aunt's friend is visiting from Marseilles or whatever. Hinata's off on a date with Naruto, isn't she? So I can't disturb her. That leaves..."

"... _me_?!"

**Don't miss the next chapter of This Is Not My First Time! Scheduled to come in two weeks... or hopefully earlier!**


	32. BONUS! The Key to Victory!

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Naruto... unfortunately...

* * *

**BONUS CHAPTER 6!!!! **

dedicated to...

silverdragon994!

The couple(s) or character(s) it's dedicated to is/are: NejiTen

This is the first part of a two-part bonus chapter. Also, the sentence that Hiashi says in the end of this chapter was silver's idea :D (I just edited it a little bit...)

Enjoy!

* * *

---

♥ Chapter XXX: The Key to Victory! You Aren't Alone ♥  
---

Back when Tenten was a little innocent (_not_) child, all guys called her 'the boy-girl' or 'the scary girl' or 'the girl who hits you when you call her panda' or 'AAAAH! RUN FOR YOUR LIFE, EVERYBODY! IT'S _HER_!' whenever she approached them.

But all she really wanted was to hang out with them.

It wasn't her fault that her fist 'accidentally' collided with either their face, or arm, or stomach – or just any body part for that matter – when they said she was too girly for them.

Not that Tenten didn't like other girls. Sure, she had lots of fun with Hinata playing with dolls or jump ropes; but it was just that from time to time, she'd get _bored_. The guys played much more fascinating games; like war, or soccer, or…

… basketball.

As long as Tenten could remember, she had always found basketball extremely fun… and interesting. She wasn't exactly short, and she was speedy, and she loved throwing balls – so why not? But whenever she tried to join the guys, they'd just taunt her and tell her to go and play with Barbie dolls instead.

And then, they'd get punched. It was amazing how they never learned their lessons; some actually had some sense punched into their heads, because when Tenten came around next time, they'd run for their lives, but some continued to tease Tenten. And some just plainly ignored her and let the rest deal with her.

One of those who ignored her was Neji. He, too, was fond of basketball, but in his opinion, girls were whiny and weak, so if they let a girl join, she'd just complain that ow, I got a ball on the head, and why won't you apologize, you jerk? So when Tenten came around for the twentieth time in a row, he at last said in an annoying voice something that the other boys hadn't really thought of:

"Do you really think you're good enough to play with us?"

At this, the others had silenced. Tenten had narrowed her eyes and glared bravely at him. "Yeah, I do," she had snorted. "You know, there _are _girls that can be as good as guys."

"Yeah, right," another boy had laughed scornfully. "You girls complain about _everything_. You get hit in the head with a ball, and then you start bawling and whining and call us idiots or jerks."

"Why don't you test me?" Tenten challenged. "If I win, you let me play with you afterwards. If I lose, I won't bug you anymore."

The boys had exchanged glances, suddenly worried. But Neji, who refused to believe that girls weren't weak, just smirked. "Go ahead."

And so she had done. She had gone ahead… and won. Ever since, she had been allowed to play with the boys. And that's how she began hanging out with Neji… or rather, was forced to, after the two of them had once been the only ones left after a basketball game, and their parents had come to pick them up and mistook them for being friends, and everybody else had expected them to be friends, too.

After all, they were the 'fighting master' and the 'fighting mistress'.

A lot of people that had grown up with them – such as Naruto, Ino, Hinata and others – were still rather fond of bringing up the topic of how Tenten had made herself acknowledged among guys, and how she had first become friends with Neji, because it was, in their opinion, rather hilarious. Even now, when they were almost about to graduate from high school.

"Hey, do you guys still remember when Tenten beat everyone at a basketball game?" Naruto therefore grinned, when the gang was having their usual (forced) bowls of ramen at Ichiraku's after school.

"Yeah," Ino laughed. "You were a bit basketball crazy back then, weren't you, Tenten?"

"Are," Tenten corrected her. "I'm still crazy with basketball."

"But you don't play it as much as before," Neji remarked, raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah, well, we've been so busy lately, I haven't really had time for it," Tenten shrugged. "But there're a few months left of school, right? Maybe I should play basketball during the time that's left. Are you guys up for a game after this?"

The others groaned in response. "C'mon, Tenten," Sakura said, "after school, who has the energy to do that?"

"Me," Tenten firmly replied. "You guys are so lazy. Neji?"

"Sorry, Tenten." Neji shook his head. "I'm tired, too."

"Tch," his girlfriend snorted disgustingly. "You guys have become too lazy."

"It's you who's too hyper," Naruto argued.

"Look who's talking," Sasuke sarcastically commented.

"Hey!"

Hinata giggled, and then smiled at Tenten: "Tenten-chan, why don't you join the girls' basketball team? Since Kari-chan left, it means they're in need of a new player, so why don't you try get into the team? You're great, so it's a big chance you might get in."

"That's a great idea," Tenten beamed. "So, when're the tryouts?"

---

"Out of the way! Out of the way, folks!"

Tenten, Sakura, Hinata, Ino and Temari made their way through the crowd that had assembled at the bulletin board, and then peered at the paper that said 'Girls' Basketball Team Tryouts, on Friday 13th, 5 p.m.! Don't miss them!'.

"Friday 13th?" Sakura frowned. "Geez, talk about choosing the wrong day…"

"Great! I'm free that day!" Tenten's grin was so wide that her cheeks ached as the five girls pushed their way away from the bulletin board. "Guys, can't you accompany me? I need support! Haven't you heard something like… 'the key to victory is support'?"

Temari groaned. "Tenten, please, don't talk about keys."

"What about them?" Ino wanted to know. "You've played _Kingdom Hearts_ again?"

Temari nodded grimly. "And lost," she muttered angrily. "I can't believe Gaara has already gone to _The World That Never Was_! I'm still stuck in stupid _Agrabah _with that stupid magic carpet, having to defeat that stupid boss."

Hinata giggled. "Why don't you play something else, Temari-chan?"

"Yeah, you can borrow my _Dancing Petals_, if you want," Sakura generously offered. "But you better be careful; Sasuke-kun wouldn't be pleased if I said I had lent it to somebody."

"Thanks," Temari sighed. "Well, I'm busy on Friday, Tenten, sorry."

"Me too." Ino wrinkled her forehead. "I need to get Shika-chan to the mall. He _always _wears the same shirts!"

Sakura laughed at the remark, but then turned serious. "Yeah… and I've finally managed Sasuke-kun to promise me that we'll go out shopping too. He hates it."

"Why don't we shop together?" Ino suggested excitedly. "That'd be fun!"

"I… don't know, Ino," Sakura sweatdropped at the thought of having Sasuke go shopping together with Ino and Shikamaru. "We'll see."

"Hinata…," Tenten begged. "Can't you come? Please!"

"Gomen, Tenten-chan, I can't go. I have a date with Naruto-kun…"

Suddenly, a voice interrupted them. "Hey, I'm fr-"

Tenten turned towards her boyfriend who was approaching them, her eyes fiery and threatening. "NEJI, I SWEAR IN KAMI'S NAME THAT IF YOU DON'T COME ALONG, I'LL FRIGGIN' KILL YOU WITH MY NOTEBOOK."

"Uh… okay… I was just about to say I was going to come anyway… but don't kill me, please?"

The others sweatdropped at this, while Tenten seemed to calm down, a sweet smile on her lips. "Okay."

---

"Now girls, y'all probably already know that Hikari Hikari has quit this school – well, she was probably expelled, seeing how much she clung to Sasuke-kun without even being in our club," the leader of the basketball team, the Ino-lookalike Jasmine said with a sneer. "Thus, we're now looking for new recruits. Please take your seats, those of you who won't be tested yet. First out is…"

Tenten sat down on a bench, rolling her eyes at Jasmine's stupidity. Even though basketball sure was fun, about 80 percent of the team consisted of Sasuke's fans. They'd probably give her a hard time getting in, seeing how they were jealous of how she could be around Sasuke everyday without him getting irritated.

Like she wanted Sasuke anyway. He was just an annoying kid. In her opinion, he was too hard to dominate. Neji was just _so _much easier…

Besides, even though she'd never admit it, Neji was damn hot. And he was her childhood best friend, after all. He had always given her strength… just then, she heard his voice behind her say, "Good luck, Tenten."

She turned around with a grin. "Thanks."

---

"And we're done for today." Jasmine paused. "As of now, though being hugely astounded at her skills, even though she knows absolutely _nothing _about fashion, the one who's most likely to become the new member of the team is Tenten. But we'll announce the results on Wednesday. Bye, everyone."

"So…," Neji said as he put his hands in his pockets, just as Tenten proceeded towards the girls' changing room. "You're free after this?"

"Yup. You're treating me to dinner, right?"

Neji laughed at her straight-forwardness. "Of course. See you later, then." He waved as he exited the gym. Tenten smiled for herself before walking into the girls' changing room.

---

"No, Ino!" Shikamaru groaned. "I _don't _want this… this Gucci shirt or whatever it is!"

Ino pouted. "Actually, Shika-chan, it's _not _Gucci. It's _Ralph Lauren_! It's a huge difference, you know. Right, Sakura?"

"Exactly!" Sakura crossed her arms as she glared reproachfully at her boyfriend. "Sasuke-kun, this looks _good_, you know!"

"No, it doesn't," Sasuke calmly responded as he focused on not losing his temper and marching out of the store.

"I agree with Sasuke for once. You two have the worst sense of fashion ever," Shikamaru moaned as he attempted to go back into the dressing room.

"No, we don't!" the girls exclaimed in chorus. The two boyfriends rolled their eyes before going back into the changing rooms. Just then, Sakura caught sight of something – or rather, _somebody _– outside of the shop.

"Hey, Ino!" she said, poking the blonde on her arm.

"Nanda?" Ino followed her gaze and then grinned evilly. "Oooh. Naruto and Hinata on their date, huh?"

"Yup. I wonder where they're headed?" Sakura giggled.

"To the bakery, I guess." Ino joined in the giggling. "We've got to go there too! I'm going to start crying out of laughter when I see Kankorou and Gaara with pink aprons."

---

When Neji and Tenten were little kids and their parents forced them to play together, Neji always refused. Then, Tenten would start plead and beg that they'd play house… which Neji refused even more. ("Like I want to be your husband and have your babies! Ew!")

This always resulted in that Tenten pulled Neji's hair until the poor boy agreed to play whatever she wanted to, and after about a week, Neji would tell his parents he didn't want to see the little panda-girl anymore. ("KAAAA-SAAAN! KAA-SAN! SHE'S PULLING MY HAIR!" "Oh, look, how cute, our children have become best friends.")

"Why, Neji-chan, she's awfully kind," his mother had replied, desperately trying to find _one _girl the boy wouldn't push away.

"No, she's awfully _dominating_," Neji would huff and go back to his room. Then, after two days, Tenten came to visit Neji instead. And thus, they continued playing house. And sometimes, when Tenten was in a good mood, she'd let Neji decide.

That was the first thing that came to his mind this particular afternoon, when they were going to have dinner together.

And even though Neji had always said he didn't want a girlfriend who'd be dominating – here he was with Tenten, the scariest girl he had ever befriended, romantically arguing about what they were going to eat.

"I want to eat a hamburger!"

"But c'mon, Tenten, the noodles are really delicious," he tried. "I promise, you'll absolutely LOVE them –"

"I. Want. Hamburger. _NOW_."

"… O… kay…" Neji sweatdropped as his girlfriend smiled a sweet smile before forcefully dragging him off.

---

"Anou…"

A vein popped on Naruto's forehead as his friends cheerfully chattered around him.

"Guys…"

Hinata looked at her boyfriend worriedly.

"DO YOU REALLY HAVE TO BE HERE?!"

Ino, Shikamaru, Sakura, Sasuke, Gaara, Kankorou and Temari all stopped talking. Then Gaara raised an eyebrow.

"Well, I've got to be here because this is where I work," he pointed out. "Besides, it's you who's disturbing us, not the other way around."

"Yeah, exactly," Kankorou chimed in.

"What's wrong with a little friendly encounter?" Ino remarked with pretended shock. "My, my! I feel _offended_, Naruto. Don't you want us around?"

"Not… on… my… date," Naruto hissed through gritted teeth as another vein popped on his head.

"You should be glad," Sakura sighed. "I don't want to go home just yet. Sasuke-kun has got guests, so I can't go to his place either. My aunt has invited some friend who's driving me nuts."

"Better than me, at the very least," Ino muttered. "My parents are holding a party filled with _people _that are driving me nuts."

"A-anou…" Hinata smiled shyly. "We've no guests tonight, so if you want to, you can come…"

"Wow! That'd be awesome, Hinata! Thanks!" Sakura grinned. "Hey, can't we have a sleepover? We haven't had one for _ages_!"

"… It works for me," Ino smiled. "Anything to skip going around and smile to those ancient people who tell me, 'Why, why, aren't you an adorable young lady' when they're actually thinking, 'This little bitch's parents won't give me a raise'…"

"I'm free," Shikamaru shrugged.

"So am I," Sasuke added. "My parents have come home, so I don't necessarily have to meet the guests. They're not particularly important anyway… and they've come to see my parents, not me."

"Well… I'm in…," Naruto sighed.

"I want to come too!" Temari smirked. "I won't miss the fun for sure."

"Gomen ne, but we're busy," Kankorou responded.

"Busy?" Temari repeated, quirking an eyebrow. "Dates?"

"Aa," Gaara casually answered.

"Whoa, this baking business wasn't too bad after all, was it?" Ino teased.

"I guess," Kankorou shrugged with a sheepish grin. The others just laughed.

---

After a somewhat pleasant (though this was questionable as Tenten and Neji argued once more about what kind of hamburger they should eat) dinner, Neji decided to escort his girlfriend home. But just as they were outside the front door…

"Neji…"

"Nanda?"

"… Nobody's at home."

"So what? You've got the keys, haven't you?"

"… Er… actually…"

"NO. Don't tell me. You –"

"- forgot the keys in the girls' changing room at the school, yeah."

"But can't you sleep in anybody else's house? Like… Sakura… or somebody…"

"Well, uh, Ino's parents are throwing this party for the staff of their company or something, so it'd be weird if I turned up there and just asked for a room to sleep in. Sakura's aunt doesn't have a spare room, because her aunt's friend is visiting from Marseilles or whatever. Hinata's off on a date with Naruto, isn't she? So I can't disturb her. That leaves…"

"… _me_?!"

"Yeah." Tenten's eyes flashed dangerously. "You dare to refuse?"

"Um… no."

"And also, if you're uncomfortable with me sleeping in your room or whatever, I can just go sleep in Hinata's. You share the same mansion, don't you?" She grimaced. "Anything but to sleep in one of those creepy guest rooms."

Neji couldn't help but smirk. "You still haven't gotten over last time when you slept in my place, huh?"

"It's not that," Tenten grunted. "I just don't like them."

Neji chuckled. Tenten never admitted she was afraid of anything. "C'mon, then. Let's get going… good thing you aren't alone, huh?"

He already knew that this sleepover wouldn't be like the others they had had so far… if the poor guy only had known what was awaiting him…

---

"Neji..."

Tenten suddenly stopped in the long corridor in the mansion, grasping Neji's sleeve. "Yeah, what?" her boyfriend asked.

"You know, uh, your dad..."

"Otou-san? What about him?"

"He's not... he's not with Hinata's father again, is he?"

Neji slapped his forehead with a moan. He had totally forgotten that today was the day his father was coming home. And whenever his and Hinata's father met (the two of them were twin brothers) they'd usually celebrate by drinking all night and 'cherishing some lost memories', as he remember his mother poetically describing it when he was younger, but in Neji's opinion, it was more random rambling. Last time when Tenten had come over, Neji's father had scared Tenten out of her mind by accidentally showing up in her bedroom after Tenten, Neji and Hinata had seen a horror movie.

"I think he is, unfortunately," Neji muttered. "But hey, I don't think they're going into Hinata's room tonight, so you don't have to worry." _At least, I hope they won't._

"Okay...," Tenten replied unsurely. Just then, somebody appeared behind them.

"Neji?" the voice said. Tenten almost shrieked out of fear as she hid behind her boyfriend. "What have you been doing after school?"

"Just hanging out with friends, otou-san -", Neji began, but was interrupted by hiccups from his father.

"Is it something with the young girl that you always stare at when she's near you? The... the one who looks like a... giraffe... gomen, I mean... panda?" Hiashi giggled unclearly as his sentence was finished with some more hiccups. Neji frowned.

"Her name's Tenten, otou-san, you've met her before."

"Panda?" his father repeated with a sheepish grin, only hearing what he wanted to hear. "Yeah, that's her name... I think..." Then, a stern expression came across his face, mixed with some horror. "Or wait.. if you didn't hang out with Panda... are... are you GAY?!?!?!"

The random outburst resulted in that Neji kicked his father... _hard_. He knew he'd pay for it later, but as of now, his face was as red as a tomato. "OTOU-SAN!"

"... what a beautiful moon tonight...," was all Hiashi managed to stutter between giggles and hiccups.

"IT ISN'T A MOON! IT'S A LAMP!" Neji yelled. "C'mon, Tenten, let's go."

Tenten just sweatdropped. "Sure..."

* * *

Please Wait... 

Okay, so I know that this might not have been the most interesting chapter ever, but I hope at least it's okay x.x; It's soon to be followed by another chapter! Meanwhile, check out my new SasuSaku threeshot, Snowflake:) Also, next chapter is dedicated to NejiTen, but it's actually more humoristic than romantic xD;

* * *

**Reviews Corner (C'mon, people, let's reach 800:) )**

**I don't know how many times I've said this, and how many times I will keep saying it, but I LOVE your reviews! So keep on reviewing!**

**Many thanks to...  
**

**cherry blossom petals**

**Crazy Gal42 **(Thanks for the PM telling me the fillers are going to end! XD And yeah, I'm really happy, but are you sure it's an official statement? Because I've heard many predictions about when they're going to end... like, at first, in the beginning of December... then they said before Christmas... then after Christmas... then after New Year's... but I really hope that they're going to end in Feb! God, was I growing tired of those fillers... -.-; You mean in my fic or in the real manga/anime? XD Here I've said they were dating in the 25th bonus chapter, but in the real manga/anime it's not revealed before... um, Asuma's death, and I hope you knew about it, and if you didn't, that you don't mind spoilers x.x; )

**Pale Moonlit Nightsky **(Lol, I seem to have a tendency to make all the parents in my stories weird :P And the random typing... it's always when somebody hits him xD And Happy New Year to you too! x3)

**Kawaii IceCream**

**animefreak2203**

**nickygirl**

**everlasting memories **(Same to you :D)

**Blackieismybaby**

**frienz4ever **(The same to you! ;) )

**silverdragon994 **(Lol, the Hiashi sentence was hilarious. xD Thanks for adding it to the request!)

**Claud-kun** (Omg... I'm your mother! XD Just kidding. It's just that the whole telling-people-about-your-day-and-nobody-listens and the Prison Break love is similar to me :P Prison Break... -drools- BUT MY SISTER HAS GONE AWAY TO HER BOYFRIEND'S WITH ALL THE EPISODES! T.T No more Wentworth Miller for me until next week... -cries-)

* * *

_**Coming Up Next...  
The 7th bonus chapter for This Is Not My First Time, Lost, dedicated to une see, a tribute to NejiTen!**_

**Three tips after watching horror movies the entire night: One, don't let the host's/hostess' drunk parent(s) go ANYWHERE in the house.**

"Oh my god... it's so creepy...," Sakura whispered. "Sasuke-kun, where the hell are we anyway?"

"Panda... hiccup... san? Have you seen Neji?"

Sakura turned around, and only seeing pale skin beneath black hair that covered the face, and a figure dressed in white with a stinky breath, did the most natural thing one could do. "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH! IT'S HER! THE GIRL FROM _THE RING_!"

**Two, always make sure your electric torch works right.  
**

"This is so silly," Temari muttered. "Why the hell did we go looking for _ghosts _in here anyway? Not like there're any -"

Just then, her electric torch faintly lit up something in the room. "AAAAAAAAAAAH!" Temari shrieked. "SOMEBODY'S BEEN KILLED! THERE'S A CORPSE! A CORPSE, I SAY!"

"Temari-chan... I think that's the life-sized Barbie doll Hanabi got for Christmas...," Hinata sweatdropped.

**Three, don't, absolutely DON'T, go into the house's gigantic cellar when it's totally dark.**

"NEJI! I WANT TO GET OUT OF HERE, OR I'M GOING TO KILL YOU WITH MY NOTEBOOK LATER!"

"Fine, fine..." He impatiently grabbed the doorknob. "Just skip the fun, then..."

Silence followed. A frantic sound of somebody trying to turn the doorknob and open the door with no success echoed in the maze.

"... Neji-onii-san?" Hinata said nervously.

"Great," Neji mumbled. "We're stuck in here."

_**Thus, don't miss the next chapter!!**_


	33. Sneak Preview of Sequel, AN III

**Konnichiwa, minna-san, and gomen nasai for the veeery slow update!**

**I'm currently working on the coming chapter, which is developing very slowly on account of lack of time and inspiration.**

**I'm starting to wonder, are you guys more interested in the plot or the fillers? (This is the second last filler, then there's the last filler which is entirely dedicated to SasuSaku.)**

**As an apology for making you guys wait, I'm giving you a sneak preview of the coming sequel. This time, I promise to feature lesser featured characters from the actual series (such as, for example, Itachi or Rock Lee) and one-time OCs such as Sakura's stepsister, Jessica, whom is only mentioned in the first chapter briefly.**

**_In the Coming Sequel, Faithful Betrayal..._**

**_Mistrust..._**

"Truth? What truth, Sasuke? I don't know who to trust anymore!"

**_... lies..._**

"I thought I could trust you, Daiki! Where's the 'friendship' now? Where's the 'faith'?"

**_... jealousy._**

"You're willing to risk anything for her! Anything! Is she really that important to you? Why can't it be me, just for once? I know I'm being selfish! Maybe that's why I tried to commit suicide in the first place - because I hated my selfishness!"

**_Where's the light now? Where's the light, Sasuke-kun?_**

**_A soundless, masked assassin just waiting to fulfill his missions..._**

"I believed in you. I kept your secret. I did everything I could to help and protect you. And this is your word of thanks?!"

Cold eyes... as ice. "You were merely a tool in my plans."

**_Old grudges come to life..._**

"Hikari?! You bastard, are you behind this?"

"... Who are you?"

**_An unknown past is revealed..._**

"You are..."

"Uchiha Sasuke's twin brother. Pleased to meet you."

**_In order to awaken the light that is enveloped in darkness, we must regain the lost hope._**

**_The question is only if we can make it in time..._**

**_Coming Soon: the sequel to This Is Not My First Time!_**

**(For those who wonder, there're different people speaking here, some of them not even properly introduced to the story. Also, it might sound dreadfully dramatic and not funny/romantic at all, but it is much more dramatic than this fic, but it still has those funny/fluffy moments. It's just that I kind of thought maybe you've had enough of that after all those fillers.)**


	34. BONUS! Lost

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, despite wishing so badly. :(  
**

* * *

---

♥ Chapter XXXI: Lost ♥  
---

"It's all your damn fault, Hyuuga. If we don't get out of here alive, I'll haunt your family for the next 100 years."

"Gee, what a threat, Uchiha. I'm not even going to be there then."

"Fine. Then I'll strangle you and kill you again after we've died."

"You just try it out, Uchiha."

"Tch, afraid, Hyuuga?"

"As if, Uchiha."

"You are, Hyuuga."

"Not, Uchiha –"

"CAN YOU TWO JUST SHUT UP?"

"Ow!"

"Ouch! Tenten, what the hell is your problem?"

"Can't you all just be quiet? Shikamaru might find us a solution! He's the smartest one here anyway!"

"Er… Sakura… Tenten just knocked him out with her notebook. Hey, did anyone bring the chips from the living room?"

"WHAT?! TENTEN…."

"But he was in the way, Ino!"

"URUSAI NE! CAN'T YOU ALL JUST SHUT UP?!"

"Geez, Temari. No need to freak out. Aaaah! No! No! GET AWAY FROM ME! DON'T EVEN THINK OF TOUCHING ME WITH THAT NOTEBOOK!"

"Naruto-kun…"

---

So what _really _caused this? Well, the answer is easy.

**_Seven hours earlier…_**

Hinata had managed to safely bring home the rest of the gang somewhat successfully; a sulking Naruto, who still couldn't forgive the others for ruining his and Hinata's date; a happily chattering Ino clinging to the yawning Shikamaru's arm; a combat-ready Temari arguing with the stubborn-as-always Sasuke, accompanied by a sighing Sakura and the chips-eating Chouji, who had seen them in the shopping center and had received permission to tag along…

… just to find a least to say surprised Neji, Tenten right behind him.

"What're you doing here?" they all said in chorus.

"Well, I just brought home minna," Hinata smiled. "A sleepover?"

"Great." Neji groaned. "Tenten forgot her keys at school, so she has to spend the night here too."

"Really?" A mischievous glimmer came across Naruto's eyes for the first time since they left the shopping center. "Wasn't there any _other _purpose – OW!"

"If - you," Tenten breathed heavily, "ever – try – that – one – again – I'm – going – to – friggin' – kill – you…"

The others just sweatdropped.

---

After much arguing, notebook-hitting, discussing, sighing and sweatdropping, the gang came to a final conclusion.

Or maybe two.

Or three.

Or…

In other words, they had at least sided with each other, but they were still stubbornly disagreeing to the others' ideas.

"I think we should play a game of cards," Sakura suggested with a frown. "You know, like poker or something."

"Yeah, that's a lot of fun. Let's play strip poker!" Naruto grinned widely.

"No freakin' way I'm doing that." Temari glared at the others. "I think we should go eat first. I'm starving."

"Me too," Chouji whined. "I haven't eaten for the last ten minutes!"

"You could eat while you do something else, baka! Let's watch horror movies!" Neji exclaimed, and Sasuke, Ino and Tenten cheered in agreement.

"C'mon, Shika! It'll be fun!" Ino tried to persuade her boyfriend with a grin.

"I don't know." Shikamaru regarded her with a lazy glance. "You know, I'd rather go to sleep."

"Don't be so boring, dammit! C'mon, Hinata, you want to play poker, don't you?" Naruto tried with puppy eyes.

"I-I-I don't know, Naruto-kun…"

"If we can eat while we do either, I'd rather watch a horror movie," Temari remarked.

"Both are fine with me," Chouji grunted. "Just as long as we get food!"

"Majority always wins," Tenten said triumphantly. "Now, let's be _scared_!"

---

Sakura had a secret phobia.

Okay, so it wasn't exactly a real phobia. When she told aunt Cecilia about it, she'd only respond, "Nonsense, Sakura. You shouldn't misuse the word for such cowardly purposes."

But in Sakura's opinion, it really _was _a phobia. She practically panicked just by the thought of doing _that_.

Squirming in the sofa, she glanced at the others. Hinata looked like she was on the verge of tears, Tenten was grinning widely, Chouji only paid attention to the chips, and the rest had their eyes glued to the screen in fascination. Hinata and Tenten screamed while the others winced as a bloody, disgusting hand out of nowhere strangled the poor main character's friend.

Yes, Sakura was scared to death of watching horror movies.

"Sakura…," Sasuke's voice breathed in her ear, almost making her jump. "Can you pass the popcorn?" Relieved, she handed the bowl to him with shaking hands. He raised an eyebrow. "Nanda?"

She just shook her head. "Nothing."

He smirked. "Scared?"

"N-n-n-no!" she exclaimed, glaring at him with blazing cheeks.

Putting his arm around her, he leaned in to whisper in her ear: "It's fine. I'll protect you."

Not being able to hide a smile, Sakura could only show her gratefulness by reluctantly tearing her gaze away from her gorgeous boyfriend and concentrate on the less gorgeous scene on the TV screen.

---

Hinata had to stifle a shriek.

"Nanda? Nanda, Hinata?!" Sakura almost yelled, freaking out at her terrified expression. Hinata shook her head – along with her legs that felt like jelly. She was practically half-collapsing.

"It's just some cheese," she whispered, but her face was extremely pale, as she gazed into the full fridge.

"Geez, Hinata, you're still afraid of horror movies, aren't you?" Neji scratched his head with a grin. "C'mon, they're fun. Let's watch another one!"

"Oh, _please_." Ino groaned. "We've already watched _The Ring, The Grudge, One Missed Call, Friday 13th, Gothika, Silent Hill, The Hills Have Eyes, Stay Alive_… honestly, I've had enough of horror movies tonight."

"But we haven't watched all of them yet!" Sasuke protested. "There're more in the shelf."

"If we had to watch all the movies, Sasuke, then it'd take the entire night and more," Tenten remarked, whacking him on the head. "Neji and Hinata's families have two entire shelves with only horror movies. Do your parents really watch all of them, Neji?"

"Not really." Neji smirked. "They're too afraid."

"Don't you guys think it's _scary_?" Sakura shivered. "Horror movies are really gross."

"That's the point. It gives you an adrenaline rush," Temari gleefully pointed out.

"And makes you paranoid too," Shikamaru muttered.

"What, Nara, chickening out?" Sasuke put on his trademark smirk.

"Forget it, Uchiha. I'm only saying watching too many horror movies might wreck your psychical condition."

"Whatever. Itachi has watched at least fifty."

"Yeah, and how normal is he on a scale between 1 and 5?"

"Chouji, what do you think?" Naruto boringly asked him, who had spent the last few hours gobbling up chips.

"About what?" he responded between mouthfuls of sourcream and onion-flavored chips.

"About the horror movies."

"Oh. I didn't really watch 'em… the chips are really good, y'know. Neji, where did you buy them?"

"Don't know." Neji shrugged. "You can ask one of the maids later if you want. Hey, I've an idea. Let's go ghost-searching in the mansion!"

"Neji, that's farfetched. You've lived in this house for years, it's not likely you'll find a ghost," Tenten said, rolling her eyes.

"You never know." Neji sneered. "Maybe it has just waited for an opportunity to get out. Either way, neither of you are sleepy yet, right?"

They shook their heads right on cue.

"Well, there you go. Then let's go find some electric torches!"

"I doubt it'll make us sleepier, though," Shikamaru commented before following the rest of the gang.

---

Thus, the "ghost haunting" began. The gang separated into smaller groups; Sakura and Sasuke, Hinata and Temari, Neji and Naruto, Shikamaru and Chouji, Ino and Tenten.

It wasn't like Sakura _disliked _the whole thing. It was just… disturbing. You know, what with all the lights out and the servants being in the kitchen preparing a midnight snack for them and everything (also being told to stay out of the way and avoid any screams that might occur), and the large mansion and the torchlight that made you see shadows everywhere.

After all, she was alone with her boyfriend.

But the scenario wasn't exactly _romantic_… besides, Sasuke seemed merely interested of the entire thing. Of course, he didn't believe that there actually was a ghost in the house, but after all the horror movies, it was 'refreshing with some walk', he had pointed out.

No, Sakura didn't dislike it.

She just _hated _it in every way possible.

And Sasuke was just entirely silent, hardly aware of her discomfort thanks to the fact that he could hardly see her in the darkness, the torchlight merely lighting up the way in front of them and around them, not at her.

"Sasuke-kun…," she whispered into the darkness.

No response.

She searched with a slightly shaky hand the way in front of them with her torchlight, that palely lit up the deserted corridors. Total silence still.

"Oh my god… it's so creepy," Sakura stated, wanting to break the silence. What was with Sasuke? Why didn't he reply? "Sasuke-kun, where the hell are we anyway?"

"Panda… hiccup… san? Have you seen Neji?"

Sakura turned around, and only seeing pale skin beneath black hair that covered the face, and a figure dressed in white with a stinky breath, did the most natural thing one can do. "AAAAAAAAAAH! IT'S HER! IT'S THE GIRL FROM _THE RING_!"

---

"Did you hear that?" Ino clung even tighter to Tenten's arm.

"What?" Tenten wondered curiously.

"The scream!" Ino wailed. "Didn't you hear it? It sounded like Sakura's!"

"You're imagining things, Ino," Tenten sighed. "Geez, this was more boring than I thought."

"Boring?" Ino glared at her. "I'm friggin' scared!"

Tenten grinned. "Scaredy-cat."

"Shut up! Just because you're not afraid of anything. And besides, don't you realize the chance that I might be killed thanks to my mobile phone is much more bigger than yours, just because I've more people on my list?! And besides, I don't want to die just yet –"

Suddenly, a sharp melody coming from a mobile phone pierced through the calmness. Ino screamed, throwing her arms around Tenten's neck and almost suffocating her in the process.

"Pff – Ino, let – pff – go!"

Reluctantly releasing her panting friend from the deadly grip, she answered the phone with shaking hands. "Hello?"

"…." Breathe in. Breathe out. Breathe in. Breathe out.

"Is anyone there? Answer me!"

"……" Breathe in. Breathe out. Breathe in. Breathe out.

"Hello?!"

"…….." Breathe in. Breathe out. Breathe in. Breathe out.

"I'm going to end this conversation now, and when I get hold of the person who phoned me, I'm going to kill you! You get it? I'm going to –"

"… Sayounara," a hoarse voice whispered, interrupting her.

Beeep –

"Oh my god! What did he mean with that? Tenten, I _told _you they want us dead… Tenten? Tenten?!?!?! AAAAH!"

---

Kankorou grinned at his crimson-haired brother. "Well?"

"I think she got mad." Gaara raised an eyebrow as he put down the mobile phone. "But don't you think it's a bit too much? I mean, after all those horror movies… and Temari just phoned us and said they were going 'ghost-haunting', whatever that means."

"Aw, c'mon, don't be such a softie, Gaara. And since when did you get so soft anyway?"

Gaara rolled his eyes. "Yeah, yeah. Whatever."

---

Meanwhile…

"Hinata, where's your little sister?" Temari suddenly asked as they entered a bedroom full with toys.

"Oh… she's probably in the living room playing PlayStation 2 now that we've gone from there. She was talking about finishing off Seymour in Final Fantasy X before," Hinata explained, but her eyes were scanning the room nervously.

"Ah." Temari then raised an eyebrow. "Hinata, are you scared?"

"Well… yes… kind of," Hinata laughed nervously. "I've never been too fond of horror movies. It has always been Neji-onii-san and Tenten who have forced me to watch such with them."

Temari sweatdropped, before looking about in the room boringly.

"This so silly," she muttered. "Why the hell did we go look for _ghosts _in here anyway? Not like there're any-"

Just then, her electric torch faintly lit up something in the room. "AAAAAAAAAAH!" Temari shrieked. "SOMEBODY'S BEEN KILLED! THERE'S A CORPSE! A CORPSE, I SAY!"

"Temari-chan… I think that's the life-sized Barbie doll Hanabi got for Christmas…," Hinata sweatdropped.

Temari stopped screaming in her current pose – her arms raised to 'protect' her face, and one leg in the air out of some unknown reason. "Oh…," she muttered.

---

"When are we supposed to gather in the kitchen?" Chouji wondered as he happily munched on some chips. Shikamaru sighed and looked at his mobile phone.

"In about ten minutes," he sighed, putting it back in his pocket. "Geez, this is so boring. I don't get why we did this to begin with."

"Walking gives you better appetite?" Chouji suggested as he finished off his current bag of chips. "Where's everyone, anyway?"

"I doubt that's why. I don't know."

Chouji suddenly stopped abruptly, even though his hands moved faster, eating chips in a frantic (more frantic than usual) speed. "Hey, do you hear that sound?"

"Nanda?" Shikamaru yawned.

"That sound. It goes, drip – drop – drip – drop… just like water!" He looked at Shikamaru panic-struck.

"It's just somebody who has forgotten to turn off the faucets probably, stupid," his friend answered. "C'mon, let's check it out and I'll prove it to you."

Walking towards the source of the water, they opened a door and searched the room with the torches, finding…

"AAAAAAAAAH!"

"AAAAAH!"

Chouji, who had, for once, stopped eating, and Shikamaru, who looked slightly shaken, stared into the shocked and frightened faces of Naruto and Neji.

"Oh. So it's you," Neji said with a forcedly calm voice. "Well… I didn't think otherwise. I was merely… surprised by your appearance."

"Yeah right, Neji," Naruto scoffed. "You were scared to death!"

"Tch. Dobe."

"Oi! Don't catch on Sasuke-teme's habits!"

Shikamaru could only sigh as he relaxed once again. _How troublesome…_

---

"So nobody found any ghost?"

Heads shaking in disappointment.

Neji heaved a sigh. "Okay. Anybody who's sleeping?"

"No," the others said at the same time.

"Well, I've one last idea. We could go ghost-haunting in the cellar."

Tenten stiffened. "The cellar? Are you crazy, Neji? It's a freaking maze! We could get lost!"

"Yeah." Neji grinned. "That's exactly what's interesting about it."

"Sure." Sasuke smirked. "Sounds like a challenge to me."

"If Sasuke-teme's up for it, then so am I," Naruto decided with his trademark smile. "I'm not gonna lose to anyone!"

"Whatever," Temari muttered. "Doesn't matter to me."

"Do we have to?" Sakura sighed.

"So, are we in?" Neji asked.

Bored shrugs in response.

"Great! Let's go!"

---

If there was one thing that could make the oh-so-not-girly Tenten to very girlishly freak out…

"OH MY GOD!" Tenten screamed. "OH MY FREAKING GOD!"

Sakura was clinging to Sasuke desperately, while Hinata was hiding behind Naruto. Temari and the guys only grimaced.

… it would be rats.

"RATS! GODDAMNED RATS!" Tenten shrieked as she wildly stomped her feet to prevent the rats from coming closer.

"Take it easy, Tenten, it's just rats. Just ignore them and we can pass – OW!" Neji glared at his girlfriend. "Do you have to do that all the time?"

Tenten, however, ignored his question. "NEJI! I WANT TO GET OUT OF HERE, OR I'M GOING TO KILL YOU WITH MY NOTEBOOK LATER!"

"Fine, fine…" He impatiently grabbed the doorknob. "Just skip the fun, then…"

Silence followed. A frantic sound of somebody trying to turn the doorknob and open the door echoed in the maze.

"… Neji-onii-san?" Hinata said nervously.

"Great," Neji mumbled. "We're stuck in here."

---

Unbeknownst to them, two identical men were in the living room, drunkenly looking through the pile of DVDs in front of the TV.

"What's this, Hiashi?" one of them hiccoughed curiously.

"I don't know. Maybe it's a romantic movie!" the other exclaimed randomly, doing a wiggly dance-step to express his enthusiasm, almost falling down to the floor.

"Yes! A romantic movie about foxes and pearly-eyed shy… what animal is shy?"

"A… a… panda!"

"BAKA! Pandas aren't shy! They pull their boyfriends' hair!"

"… Are we still talking about our children and their love lives?"

"I don't know."

"Either way, this one looks good." Hisashi peered happily at the picture of the girl on the front cover of _Silent Hill. _"Let's watch all of 'em! Gotta watch 'em all, Digimon!"

"It's Pokémon, you idiot!"

"… Whatever."

---

All hell was set loose the moment Neji uttered those words.

"SAY WHAT? STUCK? IN HERE? IN THIS GODDAMNED PLACE WITH _RATS_?" Tenten's eyes looked like they were going to bulge out of her eyeholes.

"Apparently." Sasuke yawned, already bored. "Is there no way out of here except that door, Hyuuga?"

"Well…" Neji scratched his head. "There's another one, or so I've been told. Right, Hinata?"

"I-I think so…," Hinata stammered as she grasped Naruto's arm, still hiding from the rats.

"Really?! Where?" Naruto demanded to know, eager to get out of the not-so-cozy cellar.

"No idea," Neji sighed. "You know, I've never been to this place before."

"AND YOU STILL LED US HERE?!" Sakura yelled. "WHY YOU…!"

"Shut up, Sakura. You're annoying me, and you're turning my ears deaf," Sasuke informed his girlfriend not-so-romantically.

Sakura, putting on a scowl, fell in silence, whereas Ino continued to glare at Neji. "Are we just going to go around and explore, then?"

"Well, that's up to you guys," Neji grinned. "Either, we go exploring… or we're settling down here."

Dead silence.

"AAAAAAAAH! I DON'T WANT TO SPEND MY LIFE HERE!" Tenten screamed as she gestured wildly at the rats. "NOT WITH THOSE MONSTERS!"

"Is there any chips down here?" Chouji worriedly asked.

"How troublesome," Shikamaru muttered.

"NO WAY! I'M NOT GETTING MARRIED IN THIS PLACE!" Ino shrieked. "DOES ANYBODY HAVE A CELL PHONE?!"

"Ino… don't you remember? We all left the cell phones in Neji's room after the ghost-haunting," Temari said, as pale as though she had seen a ghost. "There's no way we can get out of here unless somebody opens this cellar door, or we find the other way out."

"There's not much choice then, right?" Sakura bitterly murmured. "We can just go exploring."

---

"What the hell _is _that?"

Sakura stared, disgusted, at what was supposedly a chunk of bread… if that _was _bread anyway, the grey-green-yellow-purple jelly-vegetable-sponge-thing that lay on the ground before them.

Neji peered at the object as he tilted his head curiously. "… Well, I've no idea."

Grimacing, the aforementioned girl took a step away from the item.

"When did you last clean here, really?" Ino wanted to know as she stared at the walls accusingly, which were quite dusty.

"The servants were kind of frightened of this place, so they don't really go down here much… and when they do, they mostly just clean at the entrance, or the wine storage part of the cellar. But that's a dead end, so we can't go that way…" Neji scratched his head thoughtfully. "Hinata, do you remember where the exit is supposed to lead us?"

"Y-yeah… I think there're two – one that leads to the kitchen, and one that leads to the living room. Or that's what I've heard."

"Two exits? Much better than one. Let's go!" Neji said cheerfully, but was bonked in the head by his none-too-happy girlfriend, her notebook clutched in her hand as a weapon.

"You idiot!" she snarled. "What is there to be happy about? It's all your fault to begin with! Baka!"

"If you hadn't forgotten the keys," Neji countered with raised eyebrows, "then we, or at least you, wouldn't be here at all."

Tenten blushed in fury. "That's off-topic!"

Apparently Neji felt for challenging fate to a death duel, because he went on: "No, it isn't."

Tenten's eyes flashed dangerously. "Say that again, and I'll kill you…"

The others sweatdropped, as Neji decided to give in. Sasuke, who only watched for the mere sake of boredom, continued down the path, Sakura clinging to his arm.

"Sasuke-kun? How long have we been here?"

Sasuke grunted and glanced at his wristwatch. Then, he replied: "For three hours."

---

"Where's Hinata?" Hanabi calmly asked as she stepped into the kitchen, where the servants were chitchatting. The talk faded away at once at the entrance of small, yet so strangely intimidating girl.

"Hanabi-sama," one of the maids said hesitantly as she, along with the others, bowed. "I don't really know, but I think they went to the cellar."

"The cellar…?" Hanabi wrinkled her forehead. "Neji-onii-san is that stupid to do such a thing?"

One of the younger maids coughed to hide a laugh, but Hanabi's frown didn't disappear.

"It's already past four in the morning," she stated sharply. "Have you informed chichiwe-sama yet?" **(A/N: I don't know if it's the correct romaji, but 'chichiwe' is a very formal way of saying 'father'. Itachi, for instance, called his father so in the anime version.)**

"No, Hanabi-sama, Hyuuga-sama is with Hyuuga-sama in the living room," one of the butlers said. Hanabi groaned.

"Again? Don't tell me; they've drunk all the champagne and wine that we have in the house."

"There's actually more in the cellar, but…" The younger maid, who saw the other servants' glares, bowed her head. "Gomen nasai, Hanabi-sama."

Hanabi, on the other hand, didn't seem to notice the lack of the honorific suffix at all. "And my sister has, of course, followed Neji-onii-san and their friends into the cellar."

"Hai, Hanabi-sama."

"They're not aware that the lock is broken, no?"

"Iie, Hanabi-sama."

Hanabi raised an eyebrow in amusement. "Now this will be fun." With those words, she exited the kitchen. The servants immediately arose once more, and started chitchatting, this time about the young mistress.

---

Sakura felt her eyelids drop. They were so infinitely heavy…

They had been in this goddamned maze for hours. Even she didn't care about how long time had passed anymore; and everybody else was asleep. She was struggling to not fall asleep – the thought of rats still haunted her otherwise peaceful mind; they were back to the entrance again, where the wine was stored.

But even Tenten, the absolute rat-fearer, had fallen asleep. And then she was leaning on Sasuke's shoulder, too… such a comfortable position…

Suddenly, a door to the cellar opened. Sakura jerked awake immediately, listening tensely to the sound of the voices. It sounded as though they were drunk… she sniffed in the air and wrinkled her nose. It was a very startling scent of alcohol; they were indeed drunk.

In the light that poured in from the open door stood two figures identical to each other, with the same pearly eyes as Hinata and Neji, and with the same raven hair that reached to their waists; they were dressed in white robes, and smiled goofily as they waggled about unsteadily on the floor.

"More wine," the first hiccoughed. "Hisashi, is that wine?" He pointed at the pile of the sleeping youths. The other man, clearly named Hisashi, hiccoughed as well, but with annoyance.

"Of course not, Hiashi," he said with an unsteady voice. "They look like humans."

Silence. Then reality struck them.

"Humans?!" Hisashi sounded panicked. "Are they… are they dead?"

Sakura furrowed her eyebrows. Did she look dead to them?

"I think so." Hisashi's voice was a mere whisper, then the twin brothers' eyes met.

"AAAAAAAAH!" they screamed loudly, waking the sleeping teens up. "THERE ARE DEAD PEOPLE IN HERE! DEAD PEOPLE ALERT! AAAAAAH!"

"Shut up…," Sasuke groaned as he arose beside Sakura. "You're being noisy."

A servant burst through the door in panic. "Dead people?" he exclaimed with a squeaky, shaking voice, then saw the sleepy and annoyed 18-year-olds. "Oh. Neji-sama, Hinata-sama… you seem tired."

"Indeed we are," Neji yawned. "What's the time, er… what's your name again?"

"Shinji, Neji-sama!" the servant bowed hastily. "Um, it's 10 past eleven, Neji-sama."

"Ten past eleven?" Temari widened her eyes. "Oh boy. Weren't we supposed to pick Gaara and Kankorou up? We're going out shopping today!"

The boys moaned, as though tortured, but the girls only seemed to be cheerier.

"Shopping would do me some good," Ino sighed. "And a hot bath when I get home. But do we really have to go now? I need to sleep."

"Well, Gaara and Kankorou will be pissed if we don't," said Naruto darkly. The others made indescribable sounds of exhaustion.

---

"Were you guys up all night watching horror movies, or something?" Kankorou wondered with a raised eyebrow as he broke the sleepy silence in the limousine.

"Not exactly," Tenten muttered as dangerous anger flashed in her hazel eyes, "_somebody _got the brilliant idea that we should go ghost-haunting, and _that somebody _also suggested the cellar. We got locked into the cellar… which was full of rats."

Utada shivered. "Wasn't that gross?"

"Of course it was!" Sakura moaned. "To top it all off, we slept on the floor there, because we got so tired. Then we were woken up and had to fetch you guys."

"Oh," Ayame uttered pitifully. "A good day's shopping will help, right?"

"Yeah, absolutely," Hinata chimed in tiredly. "And we have to drive all around Paris. That is for sure."

The guys could only exchange glances and groan.

* * *

So, what did you guys think? Coming up next is the final filler! And then there's just one chapter left after that, and it's time for the sequel. :) Meanwhile, while you're waiting, please check out my latest fanfiction, Fear of the Light, which is also a SasuSaku fic. :D

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**_Reviews Corner (800 reviews:D Thanks, minna!! And also... these are answers to the reviews from the two previous chapters.)_**

Merridaine: Thanks!

Paintupurple: I know! Neji's funny to write about. His reactions are kind of similar to Sasuke's, just that he's even funnier than Sasuke, because while Neji has gotten over his grudge in the anime/manga, Sasuke's still stuck. x.x;

Kawaii IceCream: Thanks XD But Tenten really does look like a panda, doesn't she? And about the weird parents thing… I've suddenly realized that in this fic, almost all parents are weird. Kind of weird xD (There was, originally, a chapter dedicated to Naruto's supposed parents, Yondy (whom I firmly believe is Naruto's father) and an OC that was supposed to be Naruto's mom. But I changed my mind last minute…)

Kawaii Kyuubi-chan: LAWL! XD Thanks for the review.

Silverdragon994: Eep! –is tackled- Hi, Silver:D And thanks! I want to write more about their (weird xD) childhood… T.T; I wonder if I can write about it in the sequel, though…

Frienz4ever: Thanks, I will :)

Pale Moonlit Nightsky: Mwaaah! My preview! ;.; -rescues it, but is huggled in the process- Eep! XD But thanks :D Lawl. The notebook is my favorite part of Tenten's character; it was only supposed to be a minor detail in the beginning of a chapter, but as the fic progressed, I started to use it more frequently, and eventually, it became Tenten's evil weapon XD (I guess this has something to do with my own strange fondness of hitting people on the head with something…)

Claud-kun: Thanks! Prison Break… oh my god, I need Prison Break! But my sis and her boyfriend took all the episodes away ;.; (Originally, they were theirs xD) Hahah, Neji dominating? I'd like to see that… (Tenten: -dangerous sparkle in her eyes with the notebook clutched in her fist- … As if…)

SaKuRaUcHiHa404: Thanks, I will :)

Cherry blossom petals: Done ;D

Crazy Gal42: Yeah, I know, it's so sad! T.T I didn't want him to die either; poor Kurenai. But I'm curious about the chapter 344; Sasuke's back on track:D Can you believe it?! After months of waiting, we finally get to see Sasuke in action after Team 7's dramatic reunion! I can't wait until it's scanlated on Naruto Manga Returns… and yay, the anime has gotten to Part II:) But it's a pity my computer isn't working right, though, because now I can't see the anime T.T;

Ruichi: Thanks:D And Sasuke, you shouldn't slap girls:( (Sasuke: Don't be so troublesome… she was the one who was bothering me…) That's still not nice! Sakura, punish him! (Sakura: -uses Tenten's ever-so-useful notebook and whacks Sasuke on the head-) (Sasuke: T.T) YAY! Justice:D

P-Prince: You don't know what to say as in a bad way, or a good way? o.x; I know this sequel doesn't really sound like this fic, but it's because I'm in a different mood and thus want a different style of writing. I'm hoping you guys will like it, though :)

Nashonfun: Thanks!

Frienz4ever: Shudders? Is it really that bad? But okay, I'll update soon and thanks for the review :D

Ur2tRoUbLeSoMe: Thank you:)

Kawaii IceCream: Hahah, thanks and I've now updated. Happy:D There's, however, one more filler left! And yeah… I hope I can keep that fic in control, with all those new characters. I'm just tired of neglecting some certain characters; Lee, Chouji and the Suna siblings (with the exception of Temari) are constantly left out of my stories, after having been briefly introduced. Besides, there're so many temporary OCs I've just used once or twice that I want to reintroduce! And Sakura's family, too. Remember in the beginning of this fic, how I kind of spoke about her parents? I just wanted it to play a bigger part in the fic (it was supposed to, but then I kind of forgot). Sorry, maybe I should stop ranting xD;

Paintupurple: Thanks:D But I bet you're good. You should at least give it a try, ne?

Everlasting memories: Yup. ;) But still with its share of humor and fluff. Or at least, that's what I've planned. Thanks for the review!

Silverdragon994: I'll try :D There'll be a lot more drama in the next story, as it involves more characters, a more complex plot and a more mature storyline (since they'll graduate from high school). There'll be lesser fluff, though, now that SasuSaku is official in the fic. But there's still some fluff… ;D And then there're other couples too… -smiles mysteriously-

Sapphire Serenity: Thanks, and nope, Itachi is still five years older ;) (I mentioned previously that Itachi and Shizuka, Sakura's sister, are engaged, but in the coming sequel, they'll have already graduated from college and be married.)

* * *

**Sneak Preview of Chapter XIII: This Is Not My First Time **

**_What'd be the date of your dreams? I, Haruno Sakura, have three requirements; one (of course), my most beloved boyfriend… _**

"UCHIHA SASUKE, WHERE THE HELL ARE YOU? I'VE BEEN WAITING FOR TWO HOURS!"

"… Sakura, you're annoying."

"Yeah, yeah, I know, but where are you?!"

"I…" Sakura waited impatiently for a sensible response. "… was picking tomatoes."

**_… a perfect shopping tour with my boyfriend complimenting everything I wear… _**

"Sasuke-kun, what do you think?!"

Two guys whistled and shouted flirty compliments to her in French. Sasuke fumed with wrath, even though Sakura didn't seem to care; he stared at the cocktail dress and muttered sourly: "Doesn't fit you."

Sakura looked disappointed. "Why?"

"Well, firstly, you're too flat-chested. Then you have too wide a forehead. And you're starting to get fat…"

Sakura walked out of the store, a dozen veins popping on her temple.

**_… and of course, some once-in-a-lifetime romantic moments to remember. _**

Sakura could only stare. "Wow…," she whispered breathlessly at the sight. Sasuke could only smirk.

"I knew you'd love it," he said. He stared up at the night sky. "… I love it, too."

Sakura then bowed down her head. Sasuke, noticing the strange silence, tilted his head so he could see her face. "Hey, what's wrong?"

"Did… did you show the same thing to Cindy?" she asked in a low voice.

He averted his gaze from her. "… Maybe I did." Sakura was downhearted by his reply. "But," he added, "you're not Cindy, are you?"

**_Well, I guess I got the last part. But after all, I'm Ms. Unlucky Haruno Sakura, so who knows what will happen to me next? _**

**_ Don't miss the next and final filler of This Is Not My First Time (also the last second chapter), based on Tsuki-chan's real experience of her last night in Paris! (A trip recommended to all romance-loving couples that don't mind disturbing Asian tourists photographing and talking so it ruins everything, but can still cherish the moment and forget those irritating people.) And also, this filler contains the main reason why it's named This Is Not My First Time (a disturbing reason, that, in my case, unfortunately came true). _**


	35. BONUS! This Is Not My First Time

**Disclaimer: If I would've owned Naruto, I'd have forced Kishi to reveal the ending already. Or at least give me some clues to what's going to happen to Sasuke next. (Am dying to find out.)

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**

---

Chapter XXXII: This Is Not My First Time  
---

"Aaah… today's going to be a great day!"

Cecilia cocked an eyebrow in amusement at her niece's remark. Over the past months, she had grown accustomed and fond of the girl she had once found a nuisance. "Oh, really? What's making you so happy? Tomorrow you'll be leaving for Tokyo."

Being the pessimist she was, Cecilia liked pointing out the obvious. She never really cared if it hurt or not; but that was how she was. Blunt. Rough. Tough. Back in her high school days, she had been a mix of Tenten and a female Sasuke.

"Yeah, I know." She could see Sakura's smile falter a little, but it was still there. "But this afternoon, I'm going to go on my date with Sasuke-kun!"

"A date, huh?" A smile tugged at Cecilia's lips. "Where?"

"Champs-Élysées! Aaaah…" She exhaled heavily with almost exaggerated, dreamful glee. "It's going to be so romantic. In the sunset, too!"

"Aa." Cecilia then looked serious. "But, Sakura…"

"Hai?"

"Have you actually considered staying in Paris?"

"Well…"

"I mean, you still have your relationship with Sasuke and all. The term's over tomorrow, right? And at noon, you'll be leaving for Tokyo. Wouldn't you rather finish your studies here, in Paris?"

"I've already promised kaa-san." Sakura grinned. "Besides, the others say that they'll come to Tokyo to visit me on the summer holidays. Then after college, I might come back."

"Okay." Cecilia paused. "So you'll be away from Sasuke… for how long?"

"A couple of years, perhaps. But we'll hopefully visit each other."

"Oh, okay."

But when Sakura left the kitchen, Cecilia was wondering if she was lesser happier than she pretended she was.

---

Wearing brand-new clothes and with the latest fragrance of Paris' well-extended perfume market lingering in the air around her, Sakura satisfyingly looked around for Sasuke. The sky was already showing signs of early sunset as chitchatting families, tourists, friends and couples strolled down the white sidewalks. The luxurious stores were still full of customers, but were already starting to become emptier and emptier.

But to Sakura's surprise, Sasuke was nowhere to be seen.

_Strange. He's always on time, and I'm always the one being late. And I'm already five minutes late. This is really weird._

Glancing at her pink-and-silver DKNY wristwatch, a present from her aunt on her birthday, she wondered whether or not she should phone him and ask where he was. But deciding that it was only the traffic delaying his arrival, she shrugged it off.

_As long as he's coming at all, it's worth the waiting._

Oh boy, was Sakura wrong about that.

---

After one hour, Sakura started to seriously doubt her choice. But she was still stubbornly thinking that it was some meeting, or maybe something else; the traffic, an unexpected guest, whatever. She had sent a text message to Sasuke though, wondering where he was and kindly apologizing for her impatience.

Heaving a sigh, she stared at the already much emptier streets.

---

One and a half hours. Sakura was tapping her foot on the ground impatiently, gaining some unwanted attention, but she didn't care. _Where the hell are you, Sasuke-kun?!_

Three text messages.

---

One hour and three quarters of an hour. Sakura had started to march up and down the sidewalk, furiously. The sky was already ablaze.

Five text messages.

---

Seven text messages and two hours later, Sakura was seriously mad. She picked up her phone a last time, dialed a familiar number, and when somebody casually answered, 'Hello?', she screamed…

"UCHIHA SASUKE, WHERE THE HELL ARE YOU? I'VE BEEN WAITING FOR TWO HOURS!"

The voice sighed familiarly. "Sakura, you're annoying."

"Yeah, yeah, I know, but where are you?!"

"I…" Sakura waited for a sensible response. "… was picking tomatoes."

Sakura dropped her jaw. _Picking tomatoes?!?!? BEFORE OUR DATE? WHAT WAS HE THINKING? _

Sakura knew of Sasuke's secret passion of growing tomatoes that he ate himself, but this was just too bizarre. Why didn't he do it earlier, during the morning or something? Wasn't _she_, his girlfriend, more important than a bunch of tomatoes?

Infuriated, she slammed her cell phone shut.

---

Sasuke shut his cell phone and breathed out. _Thank God Sakura is so naïve._

Any other girl would've been suspicious. Picking tomatoes before a date? That was just weird. But of course Sakura would believe him. After all, she had no reason not to.

He smirked. _Sorry, Sakura. But just you wait. You'll love it._

---

When Sasuke finally arrived, Sakura decided to forgive him. After all, it was their date. It was no fun if she was sour with him. So she decided to do her favorite thing to cheer herself up.

"Sasuke-kun, can we go shopping?"

She knew he hated it. _But he deserves it! Two hours late and he was **picking tomatoes**! HMPH!_

_**Geez, Outer Me. You sure are fiery today, aren't you?**_

_But this is our last –_

Reality struck her. Their _last _date in _Paris_ until after college? Whoa. That sure was something. She wondered deep inside if Sasuke had planned anything special for the evening. But knowing him, he probably hadn't.

"Okay, then," she heard said boyfriend's voice say. Happier now, Sakura literally dragged Sasuke towards the closest clothes boutique, took a random good-looking crimson cocktail dress and dumped him outside of the dressing room. Three seconds later, she reappeared, looking lovelier than before.

"Sasuke-kun, what do you think?!" she almost squealed in excitement. In her own opinion, it looked pretty good.

Further evidence were two guys in the shop that whistled and shouted flirty compliments to her in French. Sasuke fumed with wrath, even though Sakura didn't seem to care; he stared at the cocktail dress and muttered sourly: "Doesn't fit you."

Sakura looked disappointed. "Why?"

"Well, firstly, you're too flat-chested. Then you have too wide a forehead. And you're starting to get fat…"

Diving back into the dressing room and reappearing outside within two seconds, Sakura marched out of the store, a dozen veins popping on her temple.

---

As he watched his girlfriend stomp out of the clothing boutique, Sasuke glanced at the cocktail dress. It had looked good on her. So good that it surprised him… and besides, he didn't like other guys looking at her. She was _his_. _Only _his.

Possessive, much? Nah. This was just a tiny crumb of Sasuke's gigantic possessiveness.

"How much does this cost?" he bluntly asked the woman by the cash register. She blinked, blushing at the attention.

A couple of minutes later, Sasuke walked out with a shopping bag in his hand.

---

"Where're we going?" Sakura asked, muttering in anger.

"To the harbor," Sasuke simply responded.

"Harbor?" Sakura raised an eyebrow. "I didn't know there was a _harbor _here. I mean, there's Seine, but there's no sea."

"It depends on what you call a harbor," Sasuke shrugged. Sakura then glanced at the shopping bag. _Did he have it before?_

"What's in that bag?" she wondered, half-curiously.

"You'll see pretty soon," he smirked. Her eyebrow only rose higher. _What the hell should that mean?_

---

"Sugoi…" Sakura blinked. "Is this the… _Arc de Triomphe_?"

The _Arc de Triomphe _was one of the most visited places in Paris – it was a huge _arch _which, in the current sunset, was a slight beige-pinkish color; but what was most astounding with the huge arch was the traffic around it. You could hardly get to it due to the amount of cars speeding about.

"Apparently." Sasuke merely seemed bored, and slightly impatient. What he was going to show her was much more impressive than this… but they had to get there in time, or else it'd not be as beautiful as he wanted it to be. "Now, can we proceed?"

"… Wait. Let me just take a photo of this." Sakura pulled out her camera from her bag and prepared to photograph the arch, when –

"Ch-chotto matte! What're you doing?" Sasuke had put a hand over the one on the camera and readjusted it so that he and Sakura could be seen standing in front of the arch.

"If you want to take a photo," he said boredly, "We might as well take one of us."

Taken aback by the romantic gesture after his unromantic behavior since the beginning of their date, Sakura flushed a little. "Okay, then."

---

By the time they reached the place, the sunset was almost over. Sakura now realized what Sasuke meant with harbor.

"Oh… _les Bateaux-Mouches_," she commented, nodding understandingly. The other day, she had heard one of their classmates talk about it. It was mostly visited by tourists, but it was a romantic place to go… not. The classmate had joked about it being _les Bateaux-Moches_, which literally meant the ugly boats.

"You coming?" Sasuke impatiently asked. Sakura wondered if this was what he had planned for their last date. _Knowing Sasuke-kun, he probably didn't know it was that romantic. I'll just have to play along, right?... Even if Asian tourists **are **annoying. Wait, I'm dissing myself!_

"Yeah," she brightly responded. Sasuke went to the booth.

"I'm Uchiha Sasuke," he barked with a tone that clearly suggested he was the superior. The man in the booth, who had previously looked bored, now sat upright in his chair with a panicked expression.

"Hai, Sasuke-sama! May I be of assistance?" _Sasuke-sama? Does the Uchiha Corp. own this, too? What does it **not **own?_

"I reserved a boat, didn't I?" His eyes narrowed. "Now, start the boat for us."

"Hai, Sasuke-sama!" The man rushed out of the booth and unlocked a sealed glass door, bowing as he let Sasuke and Sakura in. Sasuke, whose intimidating expression was gone, calmly stepped out onto the wooden floor that supported them from falling into the greenish Seine water below them. Sakura gulped as the two of them jumped onto the boat, avoiding the tiny gap that separated the boat's closeable stairs from the 'harbor'.

"… It's… pretty," she managed to say as she looked around on the boat. It certainly was. The lower floor looked like something between a sitting room and a café without food nor cash register, and the upper floor… well, it was the roof of the boat, and there were plenty of chairs there as well.

"Hn," Sasuke responded, clearly not interested in her opinion. He continued up the stairs to the roof, and finally flopped down onto one of the white plastic chairs. Sakura politely took the seat next to him, as the boat started floating away from the harbor.

---

The two remained in silence for a while as the boat continued down the river. The sun was setting slowly, and Sasuke was as impatient as ever. _Damn. Why doesn't it set faster? _He knew that Sakura thought this was a pathetic attempt of being romantic. _But she hasn't seen the real magic yet._

He hid a smirk as he gazed down on the water. It was so _disgusting_. Green and dirty. Whoever said Seine was a romantic place had got to be kidding.

But _finally _things went his way. The sky slowly turned darker and darker, and the first star appeared in front of them as they came out from underneath a bridge. "Look." He nudged her, pointing up at the star. Sakura, mesmerized, stared up at the sky. But there was more to come.

One by one, Paris' lights awoke. The buildings around them were faintly lit by bright lights, and the water turned dark, with the exception of the lights playing on the surface. Some people on the sides of the Seine waved to them as some slight laughter could be heard groups of happy families or fun-loving friends could be seen.

The moon above them could be seen; it was not a full moon, but a crescent one; the boat's lights were turned on too, and that was when Sakura could see them.

"_Fireflies_…," she murmured softly.

The Eiffel Tower didn't lose to the dim lights of Paris. It towered proudly over all other buildings, golden and bright, as spotlights erupted from them. Sakura was stunned. The beauty was almost enigmatic, cryptic; had Sasuke, the most unromantic boyfriend in the world, really known this? Another two stars had appeared on the sky, and together with the first, created a perfect, though slightly broad, triangle, around the Eiffel Tower's tip. As a final touch, the crescent moon shone brightly on the cloudless sky to the left of the triangle.

Sakura could only stare. "Wow…," she whispered breathlessly at the sight. Sasuke could only smirk.

"I knew you'd love it," he said. He stared up at the night sky. "… I love it, too."

Sakura then bowed her head. Sasuke, noticing the strange silence, tilted his head so he could see her face. "Hey, what's wrong?"

"Did… did you show the same thing to Cindy?" she asked in a low voice.

He averted his gaze from her. "… Maybe I did." Sakura was downhearted by his reply. "But," he added, "you're not Cindy, are you?"

Sakura smiled warmly. "… Well, no."

He returned her smile as he faced her. "Good thing. Because I love you, not Cindy."

---

Sakura felt her heart flutter. _I love you. _No matter how many times she heard it, she never had enough. Her smile widened as she closed her eyelids in perfect harmony before opening them again.

"Sasuke-kun, have you heard of the first love never working out?"

---

Sasuke raised an eyebrow. "… Yeah."

"Why do you wonder?" he added.

---

"Well… I just kind of thought…" She laughed. "… in order to realize what's most important to you… in order to realize how to do better next time… you'll have to fail once."

"Simply put…," she continued, beaming at him, "… this is not my first time, and it's good, isn't it, Sasuke-kun?"

---

He understood. And smirked. "Aa… not mine either."

---

"But… this is the cocktail dress…!" Sakura gaped in awe at the beautiful cloth. "You said it didn't fit me!"

"Hn. Well, I was just mad. Those guys were pissing me off," he muttered. "Just remember to wear it when there aren't any guys around, okay? … Well, Naruto, Neji and Shikamaru don't count. If you count them as guys, that is."

Sakura giggled at the insult. "Thank you, Sasuke-kun!" Then she gasped. "Wait! I didn't give you anything!"

"You don't have to." He smirked as he neared her face, before sealing their lips into a kiss. "That's enough for me. Now, go in before your aunt drags you into the apartment."

"… Okay." Sakura's lips curled upwards. "… Arigatou, Sasuke-kun."

"Aa. No problem." He raised his hand in a goodbye before walking off into the night. Sakura stared after him, feeling a slight pain in her heart.

… _Sasuke-kun… I won't be able to see you for such a long time…_

_

* * *

_

And the final filler's over! Coming up next is the final chapter... but for those who like my fluff, there's something more to come - my coming oneshot collection, Everlasting Dreams! Fluffy humoristic SasuSaku oneshots only x3 And for those who like angsty SasuSaku, check out my Fear of the Light:) That is, until I can finish summarizing the sequel... I've some problems with it o.x;

* * *

**Reviews Corner (I love reviews... so feed me more reviews, puh-leaaase? -puppy eyes-)**

**o1DATTEBAYO: **Thanks ;D

**nashonfun: **Thank you :)

**frienz4ever: **Yay, sequel!... I think. XD Thanks anyway ;D

**Crazy Gal42: **Yup, I'm looking forward to the next chapter of the manga... I want to know what happens! -whine- But the anime's pretty good as well, but I don't get it... why is there no episode this week? And thanks, did you like the update:D

**Kawaii IceCream: **Hahah, that's the way Sasuke is. XD But he still loves Sakura, though... he just isn't the lovey-dovey type. Thanks for the review ;D

**HeartAngel: **Thanks :D But hey, there's a sequel... even if it's much more dramatic :P

**silverdragon994: **Thank you ;)

**Kawaii Kyuubi-chan: **Hahah thanks XD Aren't the two of them too weird? I love making serious people weird. Especially the Hyuuga family.

**une see: **The point is...? Une, you leave me in suspense! XDDD Hahah, just kidding. Glad you liked it. I don't watch horror movies too much. Get freaked out otherwise... o.O; Especially those with scenes in the bathroom, like you look in the mirror and someone stands behind you, because my mom can actually do that, and it freaked my sis out this one time after she watched a horror movie. XD

**pilar-ayesha: **Thanks :) I will update as soon as possible! ;D

**paintupurple: **Thanks:D Hahah... I blame my friend. She and I started rambling on about how popular Pokémon and Digimon used to be when were in 2nd grade and that's how I got the idea. XDDD

**cherry blossom petals: **Thanks, did you like the update? ;)

**Thanks for the reviews and please keep on reviewing:D**


	36. This Is Not Goodbye!

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. If I had done so, I'd have first killed Kishi, then resurrected him, then forced him to tell me the ending while torturing him by tickling his foot with a feather (after first making sure his feet aren't sweaty, of course) and then make him make SasuSaku canon.**

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Chapter XXXIII: It's Not Goodbye  
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"Mou… where's Sasuke-kun?" Sakura sighed as she heaved a couple of bags into the car. Naruto grunted as he, with much effort, managed to lift another of her gigantic bags.

"What the hell do you have in these, Sakura-chan?" he panted exhaustingly. Ino giggled.

"You don't have much muscles do you, Naruto?" Naruto glared back.

"Neither does Shikamaru," he protested, but immediately stood face to the face with the wrathful Ino. "Er… nothing…"

"Where's Sasuke-kun?" Sakura repeated, smiling at her friends' behavior.

"He said he's going to meet you later at the airport," Hinata smiled back. "Don't worry, Sakura. He'd never miss this."

But something secretive in Hinata's smile made Sakura suspicious…

---

It was almost only half an hour left until Sakura's flight was going to leave, yet Sasuke was nowhere to be seen. Weirdly enough, her friends didn't seem to care, but goofed around as much as usual.

"Sakura, you've _got _to eat the curry I made for you, okay?" Tenten urged Sakura on. "It's really good!"

"… Don't… it's poisonous," Neji informed her, and earned a well-aimed punch in return from his infuriated girlfriend.

"Aa…," Sakura agreed, only mumbling. Tenten raised an eyebrow.

"What's the matter, Sakura? If it's about going to Tokyo, we're going to visit you soon. Okay?"

"… Mhm…"

Tenten stared at her friend, and then shook her head, hiding a sneer. _You're worried about Sasuke, aren't you, Sakura? _She had to suppress a wicked giggle, but instead uttered a maniac-like evil laughter. Her boyfriend goggled at her in extreme fear, and thus earned another punch.

---

Time to leave. The presents had been given, the goodbyes as well. But still, Sasuke was nowhere in sight. Sakura felt a sinking feeling in her stomach as she bid farewell of her friends, promising to stay in touch and to see each other soon.

As she dragged her legs depressively down the aisle of the airplane, she sunk down in her seat sadly, looking out of the window. She heard somebody sitting down beside her, but didn't bother looking who it was, but merely continued to stare out of the window.

_Sasuke-kun…_

Memories came flooding back to her. How they first met, how he rescued her, how he told her he was in love with her, the date the previous day.

_I had such a wonderful time with you… I hope to see you soon._

But why did her heart hurt so much?

… _Thank you._

The airplane rose in the air.

---

He smirked at the sight of the familiar pink-head. The melancholy way she stared out of the window was unlike her, and he could swear she was thinking about him.

"Could you give me that newspaper?"

---

She stiffened. The rude tone, the lack of 'excuse me' or 'please', even the voice… she shook her head. _Impossible._

She removed the newspaper from the 'net-bag' glued to the back of the chair in front of her, and handed it to him. "Here," she muttered, and then made the mistake to look into the man's eyes.

Onyx met emerald. Spiky chicken hair, and the half hip-hop-ish style…

"SASUKE-KUN?!"

---

"You don't have to scream," he said calmly as he took the newspaper from her. "It's me."

"B-but…" She was shocked. Of course, he hadn't mentioned that he was going on the same airplane. "What about Paris? And college?"

"I'm going to Tokyo to study with you, baka. Do you really think I can leave my girlfriend in an unknown city by herself?"

"Hey! I'm not a little child anymore!" she pouted.

"Che. I've rescued you twice, I find it difficult to believe you," he snorted. A smile was tugging on her lips. Then, she did the most obvious thing to _her_…

… and the least expected thing to _him_.

"Mpppffft --!" he choked as she flung her arms around his neck and pulled him into a passionate (and choking) kiss. By the time it was over, Sasuke could hardly breathe.

_Well_, he thought with a smirk. _I guess that was my first time._

_I'll just have to improve it for next time._

**_Urusai ne. I'm trying to listen to my iPod. Wait, are iPods even allowed on airplanes?_**

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And the last chapter is OUT! Sakura DID leave for Tokyo, but Sasuke's coming along. Coming soon is a more drama-filled sequel, Faithful Betrayal... for more fluff-and-humor-loving readers, don't miss my coming oneshot collection, Everlasting Dreams! (Which have really ebil plans involving cooking, makeup, a tribute to Sasuke's a Stripper FC, yaoi fangirls attacking and much more!)

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**_Reviews Corner (Waaah... this is the last time I'll answer your reviews here, guys! But I'll answer them by replying to the reviews in the future, I promise. And remember - I read all of your reviews! Thank you and I LOVE YOU!!!!!!!!!)_**

**o1DATTEBAYO: **Thanks :D

**Akegata Miyuki: **Hahah, you never know... dreams come true if you believe in them, though ;) If you stop believing... well, the dream ceases to exist. -speaks from own experience- Thank you:D

**une see: **Mwahahahah... now what do you say about not being able to see each other in a long time? XDDDD Thanks for the review, anyway!

**cherry blossom petals: **Arigatou! n.n

**Merridaine: **Thanks:D And I know... u.u What wouldn't I give to be Sakura... ;.;

**silverdragon994: **Nande??? Sakura has everything she can ask for!... gawd, I really wish I was her. T.T Thanks for the review!

**frienz4ever: **Thank you n.n The sequel's coming soon! (I don't know HOW soon, though...)

**Azalea14: **Here it is! -makes a ta-dah! pose- What do you think? ;)

**Latilen: **Thank you!! Well... all good (if my fic is considered good XD) come to an end o.x; -quotes Nelly Furtado's song- But the sequel's coming soon, though ;D

**Crazy Gal42: **YEEES IT WAS SASUKE IT WAS SASUKE IT WAS SASUKE -dances- Um... -coughs- Anyway... hahah, thanks! I wonder when Kishi's making SasuSaku canon... (It's GOT to be canon! I mean, one thing that everybody who's anti-SasuSaku forgets is that Hinata LOVES Naruto! Sure Kishi dislikes females, but he can't just forget Hina-chan like that!!!!! Thus, if NaruHina becomes canon... then SasuSaku has got to, too!!) Thanks by the way ;D

**HeartAngel: **YES IT WAS SASUKE:D -clears throat- Uhm, anyway... I can't wait until the next chapter of the manga. n.n I wonder who Suigetsu is (it's a guy it's a guy it's a GUY). Well, there's a sequel coming, too ;) And if you like my SasuSaku fluff, Everlasting Dreams is coming your way pretty soon :D Thanks!

**pilar-ayesha: **Thank you! n.n Yes... Sasuke-kun... mewants Sasuke-kun... -clings to Sasuke before he kills me- T.T

**Kawaii Kyuubi-chan: **Hahah thanks :D Yes, aren't they so crazy? I'm planning to make Yondy crazy too... hmmm...

**nashonfun: **Thank you:D Wow, I feel honored. Your first SasuSaku story and I'm your fav author too?

**Kawaii IceCream: **Hahah, thanks :D Here's the update. Like it?

**Blackeismybaby: **Thank you :D

**citygirl1693: **Here's the final chapter, but the sequel's coming soon :)

**CrAzY-SiLLy-Me: **Thank you:) And long time no see n.n

**THANKS TO ALL REVIEWERS THAT HAVE EVER REVIEWED AND WILL POSSIBLY REVIEW THIS STORY! I LOVE YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!**


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